


Woman & Child Part 2

by TheSovereigntyofReality



Series: Woman and Child [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2019-10-10 15:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 132,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17428478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSovereigntyofReality/pseuds/TheSovereigntyofReality
Summary: Part 2 of 5The gang has all returned home. Now it's time for a little relaxation...and a new Tournament!Kaiba's Battle City launches Yugi and his friends right into the Pharaoh's legacy. But what about this enemy called Marik? An enemy only Sharee can recognise on sight...Slight shipping throughout.





	1. The Mysterious Duellist Part I

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.**

Téa ran towards the Kami Game Shop. She could see Mr. Moto out the front, sweeping but there was no sign of Yugi. Dang, they were going to be late! She slowed to a stop as she got to the man who had, at some point, become like a grandfather to all of them, not just Yugi.

‘Good morning, Mr. Moto.’

Mr. Moto turned to her and smiled. ‘Ah, Téa. Good morning. Yugi’s upstairs, getting ready. I’ll call him for you. Would you like something to drink?’

Tempting but… ‘Uh, no thanks. We’re already late.’

Mr. Moto nodded and called out. ‘Yugi, Tea’s here!’

They heard him call back, but only just. ‘I’ll be right there, grandpa!’

***

Yugi settled the Millennium Puzzle, on its new holder around his neck. _This new chain ought to keep my Millennium Puzzle safe. Seems like everyone wants their hands on it lately._ Pegasus, the Evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring…speaking of which, now that he knew that was back, he wouldn’t feel comfortable only having the Puzzle on a rope.

 _ **And we’re going to need it now more than ever.**_ Yami appeared behind him. His reflection in the mirror was plain for Yugi to see and he half wondered if anyone else would be able to. He doubted it. When Sharee seemed to be talking to Shamee, none of the others saw her. Still, Yami’s comment had Yugi’s interest.

‘We are? What do you mean by that?’ Yugi made a mental note that, in public, this may look like he was talking to himself. He’d have to learn to talk to Yami mentally, the way Sharee did with Shamee.

Yami switched which side of him he was on. _**The Millennium Puzzle connects us, Yugi.**_ Yugi looked at him. _**And I sense fate has more in store for us.**_

That worried Yugi more than a bit. ‘Well, we’re in this together no matter what.’

_**Good,**_ Yami said as Yugi picked up his schoolbag and headed for the door. _**I wish I knew more but our future is still unclear to me.**_ Yugi stopped but not due to the words. It was the emotions he could feel churning in Yami. Even though he spoke of the future, there was a longing inside him…and Yugi had a feeling that it came from the other direction: the past.

‘Well, I’ll help you figure it out.’ Yugi hurried downstairs and out the front door.

‘About time, Yugi,’ Téa said when she saw him.

‘Sorry, Téa.’ Yugi remembered there was a school soccer game going on today.

‘We’re gonna be late for the big game. What took you so long?’

‘Uh…’ Yugi’s hands went to his Puzzle. It was still kind of awkward talking about this to someone who wasn’t Sharee. Not that he trusted her more than his other friends, it was just that she’d been in the same situation as him for two years longer. She had more of an understanding of the concept, rather than just the words. ‘I was talking to the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. He seems kind of worried.’

‘About what?’ Téa asked.

‘About the future, I think. He said something about our destiny being…unclear.’

Téa’s eyes widened in concern.

‘Ever since we defeated Pegasus together, Yami’s been talking about…fate, like there’s something more he has to do. When you think about it, he doesn’t really know that much about himself – and Shamee doesn’t know very much more either, like where they came from…why they’re here. But I’m babbling and we’re late.’

‘Huh?’ Téa, evidentially, had nearly forgotten all about it.

‘We should go.’

Téa smiled. ‘Oh, right. The soccer game. We definitely don’t wanna miss it. See you, Mr. Moto.’ They both headed off.

‘Bye, grandpa. We’ll see you later.’

Yugi’s grandpa called after them. ‘Enjoy yourselves, you two. If the game ends early, feel free to come back and help me sweep!’

Yugi smiled at that thought.

***

_  
**You’re not going to this sport event?**  
_

‘Nope.’ Sharee grinned at her ancient counterpart. ‘I’ve never really gone for everyday fitness. Too boring, too easy.’ The reason she was speaking aloud was because no one would hear her. She was still in her bedroom.

Shamee chuckled. _**True. You dodge our old traps like no one I’ve ever seen before.**_

‘Then my dad must’ve been the first one of our family to come through the valley. Either that, or having you in my head has given me a pre-awareness of every booby trap in Egypt.’

_**Probably that.**_ Shamee looked at the Bandanna as Sharee flicked through a comic book. The younger of the two looked up and studied the spirit for a moment.

‘Let me guess, the reason you and Yami need to be here?’

Shamee glanced back at her. _**Do you blame me?**_

‘No.’ Sharee turned back to her comic. ‘If I had to live in someone else’s body, thousands of years out of my own time and I didn’t know why, I’d be pretty disturbed too.’

_**Like trying to find a snake in a sandstorm.**_ Shamee came over and leaned against the bedroom desk. Have your father and Professor Hawkins found anything more?

‘Just your old Shadow Games. Mind you, dad says we’re expecting someone in a couple of days that I think you’ll like to meet. Well…’ Sharee grinned. ‘“See again” might be the appropriate term.’ The cell phone on the desk rang. She picked it up, glanced at the caller ID and then answered. ‘Hi, Téa.’

_‘Sharee, you’ve gotta come quick! Some creepy cloaked guy snatched the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi went chasing after him!’_

As Shamee’s mind picked up everything Sharee knew, the ancient quickly disappeared back into the Bandanna. Sharee was on her feet and already running downstairs. ‘Of course he did! Okay, go get Joey and Tristan. I’ll find Yugi and Yami.’ She hung up and grabbed the keys to her father’s motorbike. He was at work and Sharee knew he’d forgive her, given the circumstances.

***

Téa ran through the streets, heading for the school as Sharee had told her. She was terribly worried about both Yugi and Yami. But the American exchange student did have an edge over them. On the way back from Duellist Kingdom, she’d explained that her spirit guest was a heart-reader.

Shamee could locate people from their heart-signature alone.

‘Hey, Téa, what’s the rush?’

Téa stopped and turned around. She was surprised to see Bakura there, but she quickly told him what’d happened anyway. He frowned when she was done.

‘Where is Yugi?’

‘In the alley!’ Téa pointed. ‘I already called Sharee. She’s coming and she told me to go find the others.’

‘You do that,’ Bakura told her. ‘Don’t let me detain you. I’ll see if I can find Yugi. You know Sharee. She probably hadn’t even left home when you called. No classes today.’

Téa nodded. ‘Thanks, Bakura!’

***

_  
**No one shall have the Millennium Puzzle but me.**  
_ ‘I want its power.’ The Evil Spirit of the Ring lifted his head and looked back the way Yugi’s little girlfriend had come. He dropped Bakura’s book bag and pulled his item from around his neck. ‘And I’ll track it down with my Millennium Ring!’

The Ring chinged and pointed.

‘Show me the way. Trace the Item’s mystical energy and lead me to the Millennium Puzzle. Hurry, before Sharee arrives!’

The Ring tugged him towards it.

‘If I can control all of the Millennium Items, I control power unimaginable. And I will make certain that nobody stands in my way.’ He smirked. Especially not Sharee Pertinicle and her passenger.

***

Yugi guessed that it should’ve been painfully obvious. There were a lot of arrows pointing him towards an old and abandoned wooden warehouse. ‘Whoever that guy was, he’s leading me like a rat through a maze!’ He looked around. ‘But why would a thief want his victim to follow him? What’s he really after?’ Well, there was only one way to find out. ‘The last arrow.’

Yugi walked over and pushed against the door. It didn’t want to give but he got it open, listening to it creak. This was obviously a place where no one had been or worked in a good many years. He stepped inside.

‘My Millennium Puzzle is here. Even though we’re apart, I can sense it.’ Wandering forward, he looked around. ‘But I don’t see it.’ He raised his voice. ‘I know you’re in here!’  
A laugh sounded out of the darkness. Now that he was paying attention, it was like there were two voices speaking. ‘Congratulations, little Yugi, you found me. Or should I say I found you? And the Millennium Puzzle!’

A light flashed on. Then Yugi saw it, because the spotlight went right onto it. The Puzzle was hanging on a hook that was deeply imbedded into something. It looked like part of a duelling platform.

‘Give it back to me,’ Yugi said.

‘It’s not going to be that easy for you. If you want your Puzzle back, you’ll have to fight me for it. That’s right, Yugi. You and I are going to duel!’

A bright spotlight went on him and then the whole warehouse lit up. It forced him to flinch. Yugi opened his eyes and saw that there was an entire duelling arena there. All this just for one single duel? Didn’t this guy have better things to do with his time?

‘And the winner gets to keep your Millennium Item. Are you up to the challenge, Yugi? I’ve been waiting for you a long time.’ He chuckled darkly.

Yugi almost couldn’t believe this. ‘Who are you?’ Yugi demanded. ‘And what do you want with my Millennium Puzzle?’

‘I desire the power your item contains within. But, according to the rules of its ancient magic, I have to win it from you in a duel. As for who I am, let’s just say I am the one who shall control your destiny as I have controlled others and that I am not unfamiliar with the power of a Millennium Item. Indeed, I understand more about their hidden mysteries than you will ever know.’ He paused. ‘Take your Millennium Puzzle. There are ancient secrets buried within it of which you, and even the spirit that inhabits it, are unaware. That’s why I will add it to my collection.’

‘I won’t duel you for my Millennium Puzzle!’ Yugi snapped. ‘It already belongs to me.’

‘It’s in my possession now, little Yugi,’ the guy said.

Yugi clenched his fist. ‘All right. Then I accept your challenge.’

‘Of course you do.’ The guy turned away.

Yugi looked up at his Item. _If I have to duel, I’ll need Yami to help me. Maybe I can still connect with him._ He reached out with his mind.

Yugi felt a familiar, but faint, brush against his mind. _**I can…barely hear you, Yugi. Our bond is weak. It’s hard to maintain contact. I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you win this duel. You’ll have to fight him, alone.**_

That wasn’t good. _Alone? But I’ve never fought a duel without you. And if I’m defeated I’ll lose you forever._

_**You can defeat him. Just trust yourself and your deck and you’ll find the way.** _

‘You’re right. I’ve got to believe in the Heart of the Cards.’

_**Be very careful, Yugi. I sense a great evil…**_ His voice echoed off.

***

_  
**Left!**  
_

Sharee swung a left around the corner. Her long brown hair flicked back. She was aware that what she was wearing was neither suitable, nor safe, for motorbike riding. Thing was she’d left in such a hurry it was a miracle she’d remembered to stop and grab the helmet, never mind the rest of the gear.

_**Another left, then turn into the alleyway ahead. You see the knocked over table and chair?** _

Sharee followed her friend’s focus and saw it. Not a moment to soon either, because with a sharp turn she was shooting into the alley, ignoring the blaring horns. She didn’t care about them when Yugi and Yami needed help. Because they were just a few…

Six billion people would die if this guy wasn’t stopped.

Nobody had better ask how Shamee she knew that. Sharee, though, was another matter. It was in everything she’d seen since she’d gotten the Millennium Bandanna. The Sacred Guardians she’d spoken to talked in that way. What had Shadi said when he realised Yugi was the Chosen One?

_‘…only he who solved the Millennium Puzzle can save it…’_

On top of that, all of hers and her father’s research pointed in that direction. The Shadow Games had to be sealed away because they nearly destroyed the world. And that woman and boy in the Shadow Realm…Pegasus had thought that kid to be the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. So…yeah, she could be sure.

Sharee was not being melodramatic.

***

‘Come on, guys, hurry!’ Téa insisted. ‘Yugi maybe in trouble!’

Joey hopped about on one foot, trying to get his shoe back on. ‘Just point the way, Téa.’ He wasn’t too happy about this either. Yugi running off after some crackpot that took off with the Puzzle. If he’d been wearing it and Yami had been the one doing the fighting, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. That guy was as “man up” as you could get. At least Sharee was rushing in. Knowing her, she’d get there fast. Joey grunted with effort and hopped a bit before he got his shoe on. ‘We’re right behind you.’

‘Yeah,’ Tristan said as they started heading out. ‘Any creep who picks on our buddy has to deal with us all.’

‘You said it!’

Just as they stepped out of the change rooms, though, one of their gym teachers appeared, hands on hips. ‘All right, people. Just where do you think you’re going? You volunteered to help at the soccer game.’

Joey was sure he wasn’t the only one who wished for Sharee at that moment. She’d come out with something either so smart the coach would be dumbstruck into letting them go or so urgent, blurred and panicked he’d have no idea what she’d just said but assume it was an emergency and let them go. Of course, thinking of that gave Joey an idea.

‘I know, coach, but we got an emergency.’

Tristan caught on really fast. ‘Téa’s cat has gotten sick. We need to take it to the vet.’

Téa played along, stepping over to him with her hands clasped. ‘Please, we need to help Fluffy!’ She dropped her head into her hands. ‘Poor Fluffy!’ She started crying.

And then the coach melted. ‘I didn’t realise your little kitty was sick.’ He laid his hands on her shoulders. ‘Of course you can go.’

Joey and Tristan grinned at each other while he wasn’t looking. ‘Yes, sir. Thank you, coach!’

As the three of them ran, the coach called after them. ‘Save that little kitty!’

‘He’s really a softie at heart,’ Joey remarked as they ran.

‘It wasn’t cool to mislead Coach Morty,’ Téa told them.

‘It’s an emergency,’ Tristan said. ‘We had to, Téa.’

‘Yeah.’ Joey was in full agreement. ‘Yugi needs us!’

Téa immediately seemed to focus on that. ‘I hope we can find him.’

‘If we can’t,’ Tristan chuckled, ‘Sharee will.’

***

‘Quit stalling, Yugi, unless you wanna admit defeat.’

‘I’ll never give up!’

Yugi had three issues to point at here. One: Bandit Keith turned out to be the one who was under that cowl. The thing was Keith knew nothing about the Millennium Items so there was no way he had any real interest in them. That brought him to two: someone else was controlling Keith. This was a person who wasn’t showing their face for some reason or another. And that brought up three. How was he supposed to fight an enemy he didn’t know without Yami’s help?

Yugi wasn’t sure but he’d do it. He wasn’t going to lose his friend.

***

The three of them came to the alleyway where the Puzzle had been stolen. The table had been smashed as if something ploughed through it. Téa flinched back from the broken bit of furniture when she saw it.

‘That wasn’t like that before!’

‘Don’t worry about it.’ Joey stepped into the alleyway. ‘That looks like Sharee in a hurry. That’ll be all it is. Come on.’ The others followed him and they soon came to a problem.

Someone had flipped all the arrows one way or another.

***

Sharee slammed the breaks on her father’s bike. Yugi was in that warehouse. It was old and run-down so it probably hadn’t been used in years. She felt Shamee lean forward and scrutinise the building. _What’s the matter?_

_**Bandit Keith’s in there…but something feels a bit off.** _

***

‘Now you’re the one who’s stalling!’ Yugi called across. ‘Are you gonna draw or what?’

Keith – or whoever was controlling him – drew. He looked and then held it up. ‘I picked the Graceful Charity card. By placing this card on the table, I’m able to draw three new cards from my deck.’ He did just as he said he would. ‘And I’m confident that they’ll be exactly the cards I need to end this duel once and for all!’ He laughed.

Yugi didn’t doubt they were up his sleeve, just like when he duelled Joey. Okay, maybe he was mind-controlled but what would stop this guy from using the same tricks that Keith did? Nothing.

‘You’re finished, little Yugi. I play the ultra-rare Zera Ritual Card.’ The monster representing the ritual appeared on the field, enthroned. ‘It’s used to summon one of the most powerful monsters in the game!’

Yugi looked at it. ‘Whoa. I’ve never even heard of the Zera Ritual Card before but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that I’m about to learn more about it than I really want to know.’

‘How perceptive. For once I put Zera Ritual into play the duel is over.’

‘Maybe,’ Yugi said. ‘But activating a ritual card takes more than just talk. You also need to have the right monster card in your hand and what are the odds of that?’ Yugi inwardly winced as he realised he was tempting fate.

This was Bandit Keith being used. And what did Sharee always say when they asked questions like that? _‘Don’t jinx us!’_ Asking questions like that almost always resulted in an answer the person asking wouldn’t like.

Sure enough, Keith held up a particular monster card.

‘No way!’

‘Maybe you finally understand the power you are up against, Yugi.’ He laid the card on the field. ‘Now, Zera Ritual sacrifices my two remaining monsters in order to bring forth the greatest of my creatures.’ The two monsters were shrouded in smoke and came together. When the smoke cleared, the monster was standing there. ‘Behold the instrument of your destruction: one of the strongest beasts in Duel Monsters. Behold, Zera the Met!’

The beast roared.

‘Our battle ends here. Say goodbye to your Millennium Puzzle. Zera, attack now!’

Zera lurched forward and destroyed the Summoned Skull. Yugi stared for a moment, trying to think. ‘Zera obliterated my Summoned Skull! But…I can’t give up.’ He leaned on the duelling platform. ‘You’ll never get my Millennium Puzzle!’

A familiar voice came from behind. ‘No, he won’t.’

Yugi twisted his head. He’d never been more relieved to see anyone leaning casually against a doorframe than he was at that moment. She looked like she’d had no intention of going anywhere today too. She was dressed head to toe in sweats. The only thing normal about the way she was dressed was the Millennium Bandanna wrapped around her head.

Sharee Pertinicle.


	2. The Mysterious Duellist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Sharee's help, Yugi closes the duel.

_I’ve got to figure out a way to take control of this duel, and win back my Millennium Puzzle._

Sharee walked over and stopped right behind him. Yugi knew she was looking at the Millennium Puzzle. What he wasn’t expecting was for her to speak up. ‘Yugi, we won’t be able to depend on Yami and Shamee forever. Someday, they’ll have to return to the home they came from.’

‘Huh?’ Yugi looked back at her. ‘What do you mean?’

‘They’re from Ancient Egypt, Yugi,’ Sharee said. ‘In a perfect world, we never would have met. Look, I’m not saying I regret Shamee sharing my body. She’s one of the best friends I ever had and she’s made my teenage years infinitely easier. But she and Yami are here for a reason. Once their purpose is served, they will move on. If there is an Egyptian Afterlife, that’s where they’ll go and they’ll leave us here in the living world, where we belong.’ She smiled. ‘So we may as well start learning to stand on our own two feet.’

Yugi nodded and turned back to his duel. _She’s right._ Though the idea that he may one day lose Yami like that saddened him, he saw what Sharee was saying. They were never going to be able to handle everything for them in the first place. That was why Sharee preferred to handle most problems on her own: knocking down Keith’s boys, telling people like Duke and Rebecca off. In fact, Yugi hadn’t seen her let Shamee handle her modern-day problems once.

The one controlling Keith laughed through him. ‘Inspiring speech, Sharee, but so stupid. The Millennium Puzzle will soon be mine.’

‘Hm?’ Sharee’s eyes narrowed. ‘Hey, you sound like…’ She gritted her teeth. ‘Marik Ishtar, that is a gross misuse of the Millennium Rod!’

‘The Millennium Rod?’ Yugi looked at Keith again. ‘So you know him?’

‘I’ve met him a couple of times,’ Sharee said. ‘Truth is, he should know better. But I suppose he is a rather pitiful little boy.’

‘Pitiful?’ Marik demanded through Keith. ‘Let’s not forget who holds all the cards here, Sharee.’

‘And let’s not forget,’ Sharee tapped her forehead, ‘my friend in here spent five thousand years stopping black hearts.’ She folded her arms across her chest and looked up at Yugi. ‘Let’s get on with this.’

From the look on her face, she was thinking of something.

‘Let’s,’ Marik said. ‘You’re just prolonging his defeat. It’s quite pathetic, actually.’ He addressed Yugi again. ‘Stare at your deck all you want. There’s not a card in there that can take on my all-powerful Zera the Met. This duel is over!’

‘Don’t listen, Yugi,’ Sharee said. ‘I mean, come on!’ She scoffed. ‘How many times have we heard that?’

That was right. Nearly everyone they took on gloated that there was nothing in his deck, or Joey’s deck, that could take out their ultimate monster. And there always turned out to be something. Yugi just had to figure out what that was. In the meantime, he had to protect his life points. He drew.

_The Komori Dragon. Oh, he’s right. It’s not strong enough to attack Zera._ He laid it face-down. ‘I play my monster in defence mode! It’s your move.’

Keith…Marik drew and laid the card down. ‘First I place Zaaru in attack mode.’ The monster appeared on the field and roared. ‘And for my next manoeuvre…’

Sharee interrupted him, pointing. ‘I saw that!’

Keith froze.

‘Saw what?’ Yugi asked.

‘He switched one of the cards in his hand for one up his sleeve,’ Sharee said. ‘Nice try, Marik. Now I can terminate this duel on the grounds that you’re cheating.’

‘Just on your word?’ Marik chuckled. ‘Sharee, you have no proof. If the duel is terminated, I am the victor.’

‘Oh, no, Marik, no.’ Sharee smirked. ‘You spent the first fourteen years of your life underground so I don’t expect you to know much about this stuff. Rule one: when you spend most of your time on archaeological sites, surrounded by ancient treasures, you get an eye for certain things. Nobody sneaks around, pickpockets or uses slight of hands without me knowing about it.’

Oh, right. Yugi had seen her do this before. It was when Keith, in full control of his faculties, had tried the same thing on Joey. But then she’d kept quiet. She’d stated her reasons as being to see if Pegasus would call him out on it at any time. Sharee always had the intention to call it if he didn’t.

Sharee’s smirk widened. ‘So because I saw you do it, the duel is Yugi’s. And, if you continue to resist, I’ll show you the problem with controlling something that has a mind of its own.’

‘You dare question the power of the Millennium Rod?’ Marik demanded. ‘With my Millennium Item, I control anyone I please. The power belongs to me!’

Sharee’s smirk turned into a scowl. ‘Yeah, the last guy had the same thoughts about his Millennium Item too. Now, allow me to show you the problem.’

The eye of Sharee’s Millennium Bandanna glowed bright. Yugi set down his cards and watched. He had a feeling he knew what was going to happen. Keith suddenly yelled out, as if he’d received a sharp shock across the brain. Sharee had…Yugi glanced down at her. No, now the expression was disciplined and stoic. Her body no longer shifted all the time.

Shamee was in control.

Keith panted for breath. ‘Where in…?’ And he was angry.

Yugi looked down as Shamee shifted. She grabbed the Puzzle and gave it a hard yank. It came out of the duelling platform with a thunking sound. Yugi wondered how she’d pulled it out. It looked like it was budged in so tight that you’d need a lot more strength than any one person could have. But she’d pulled it out so easily.

‘Ancient,’ Shamee said by way of explanation. ‘We were a fair bit stronger than people these days.’

It was then that Keith seemed to notice then. He lifted his head. ‘Moto? What are you doing here?’

‘The kingdom of dumb questions.’ And Sharee was back in control.

In the next instant, though, Keith was screaming again as Marik began retaking control of his mind. Before he was taken over again, though, Keith jumped off his duelling platform and ran only a little way. As he ran, he screamed out for someone to get out of his head. Then he mindlessly changed course and he was charging at Sharee. The Egyptologist’s daughter had a reputation for thinking fast and this was no exception.

Sharee threw the Millennium Puzzle up and into Yugi’s hands. She leapt up as he came within striking range and drove her knee up. Yugi watched Keith’s eyes bug and listened to him choke on his own breath. For a second that seemed to stretch forever, they seemed frozen like that. Then Keith fell back and off the duelling platform. Sharee landed on her feet.

‘Take your obtuse brain and scatter. We’re finished here.’

Yugi watched Keith roll over, evidentially back in control of himself. He scurried out of the warehouse, leaving them alone. Yugi hooked the Millennium Puzzle back around his neck, sighing in relief when he felt Yami’s mind reconnect with his.

Sharee chuckled. ‘Shamee wasn’t even sure Keith had a heart for her to affect.’

Yugi went to respond but there was suddenly a yell from the other end of the warehouse and then an explosion. Flames roared to life and began making their way towards them. Sharee scowled.

‘Black heart, weak will.’ That said, she grabbed Yugi by the collar and hauled him out of the now-burning building.

They flew out the door and landed on the ground with a thud. Sharee was on her feet first. ‘Well, if our friends couldn’t find us before they certainly will now.’

‘Huh?’ Yugi asked.

‘Bakura’s somewhere around here,’ Sharee said, scowling. ‘And he’s still possessed by the Evil Spirit of the Ring.’

***

Everything was all right now. They’d found Yugi. He and Sharee had gotten the Millennium Puzzle back. Now they all sat in the living room of the Kame Game Shop, talking about what happened.

‘So a new bad guy who can control minds?’ Joey asked. ‘How annoying. But it was kinda funny how he went after Bandit Keith first.’ He grinned.

Everyone around, except Téa had a good giggle.

‘How do you know about this guy anyway?’ Tristan asked when he recovered.

Sharee smiled. ‘Let’s just say that his sister is a heck of a lot nicer.’

This time they all laughed. Téa couldn’t find it in her to even fake a laugh, though. She was more worried over anything else. Yugi was the first to notice.

‘You okay, Téa? You seem kinda quiet.’

Téa quickly put on a brave face. ‘Yeah, I’m fine, guys. It’s been a long day.’ There it was, her excuse to go so she could think on her own. She loved her friends, really but…As she was walking home, Téa thought about it.

_I’m glad those four are back to normal, but I’m not. I mean, someone’s after Yugi’s Millennium Puzzle and, because of that, I almost lost him today. Ever since Yugi first put that Puzzle together and bonded with the spirit inside everyone’s been trying to get their hands on it. But something tells me that, this time, we’re in more danger than ever. And I know we haven’t seen the last of whoever it is that’s after Yugi!_


	3. The Past is Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishizu summons Kaiba to the museum.

Sharee Pertinicle stood off to the side with her father as the Egyptian woman disembarked from her plane. She was flanked by four men in suits as she was greeted by the curator of the local museum.

‘Miss Ishtar, on behalf of the Domino Museum, welcome to Japan.’

‘Thank you,’ Ishizu said. ‘But, please, let’s get down to business.’

‘Of course, I must say we were pleasantly surprised that you chose our town to host your Egyptian collection.’

‘Will they be transported safely and discreetly?’

Sharee had to force back a snort of laughter at that one. As if she doesn’t know!

‘Don’t worry,’ the curator said. ‘Since you warned us that thieves have been after your rare artefacts, we’ve taken extra precautions. I devised an ingenious plan to transport the items without a hint of detection. For security reasons, I can’t tell you how.’ He looked mighty pleased with himself.

Ishizu’s Millennium Necklace glinted. ‘You’re loading them in six armoured vehicles disguised as ordinary garbage trucks. Am I not correct?’

The curator’s eyes bugged. ‘How’d you…?’

Ishizu smiled and lowered her head. ‘Don’t worry. Your security’s fine. Let’s just say that I have a sixth sense about these things.’ She looked back up at him. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must get over to the museum to set up the exhibition.’ She turned.

‘Of course.’ He gestured to them. ‘Dr. Pertinicle has offered to drive you down there.’

Ishizu came over to them. ‘Dr. Pertinicle.’

Dennis smiled. ‘Good to see you again, Ishizu.’ He laid his hand on the teen’s shoulder. ‘I’m sure you remember my daughter, Sharee.’

‘Of course,’ Ishizu said. They began walking out of the airport. ‘Shadi informed me that you have found the Pharaoh’s vessel, Sharee.’

‘Yeah.’ Sharee grinned. ‘His name is Yugi Moto. He’s the grandson of a shop owner. You know about that skirmish a couple of days back?’

‘Yes, of course.’ Ishizu lifted her hand to her Item. ‘My Millennium Necklace showed me the theft that was attempted. And I apologise for the trouble that my brother has caused. Had I thought that he had already located the boy, then I would have contacted you.’

‘I thought as much,’ Sharee said. ‘But I don’t blame you. I blame whoever came up with that stupid idea in the first place.’

‘Of course. Sharee, may I make a request?’

‘Sure.’

‘At some point, in the next few days, could you direct the Pharaoh to the museum?’ Ishizu asked. ‘But not today. I’ll use today’s press conference to call Seto Kaiba there.’

‘Kaiba?’ Confused, Sharee stopped. ‘Why?’

As the doors of the airport opened and their small group left, both Sharee and Dennis were chuckling.

‘Ishizu,’ Sharee said, ‘if anyone ever says you’re not devious I won’t believe them.’

***

As Téa was heading home, she saw Yugi walking down the street across the road.

‘Hey, it’s me, Yugi!’ Téa called waving. He didn’t seem to hear her so she ran for the traffic lights. Unfortunately, the pedestrian lights turned red before she got there. She tried again. ‘Yugi, wait up!’

Yugi still didn’t hear her. Something was wrong. Something was bothering him. Otherwise he would have heard her and stopped. ‘What’s up with him?’ Téa wondered if it had anything to do with what happened the other day. It still bothered her, she knew but he’d seemed all right afterwards in the hospital.

Behind her, she heard a news report about an Ancient Egyptian exhibit especially inviting game fans. Maybe that would cheer Yugi up. He always got in a really good mood when it came to games.

***

Seto Kaiba worked on his computer in his study. Across the room, his little brother, Mokuba, was watching the TV. He listened with half an ear, though he didn’t know why he bothered. It was just some museum exhibit coming to the city.

‘…I’ve unearthed artefacts that suggest the Pharaoh himself fought these games against a force that threatened to destroy the entire world,’ she was saying. ‘Of course, this is still speculation and further studying needs to be done.’

‘We have to check out the exhibit, Seto,’ Mokuba said. ‘It sounds awesome!’

‘I’m running a company, Mokuba. I don’t have time for mummies and Pharaohs.’

‘Oh. I thought you’d be into this kind of thing.’ He turned back to the TV. ‘Whatever.’

The phone on his desk suddenly rang. Kaiba picked it up. ‘Kaiba.’

_‘This is Ishizu Ishtar. You should really pay closer attention to my press conference.’_

Kaiba’s eyes narrowed. ‘How’d you know I was watching?’ He looked at the TV. ‘Hm?’

At that very moment the woman on the screen spoke again. ‘I’m personally inviting Seto Kaiba to this evening’s private exhibition. I promise what he will witness will change his life forever.’

The woman certainly knew how to get attention.

That night, Kaiba’s driver stopped his limo out front of the Domino Museum. He stepped out and spoke to his employee. ‘Keep the engine running. I won’t be long.’

Kaiba went up the stairs and into the museum, empty but for Ishizu Ishtar and a few men. He approached her, because she was the one who invited him.

‘Thank you for coming, Seto Kaiba,’ Ishizu said.

‘Where are the other guests?’ Kaiba asked.

‘I said this was a private exhibition. You were the only one invited because it makes conducting business so much easier.’

Two men suddenly came and stood at the doors he’d just come in.

‘We’ve locked all the entrances.’

‘Nobody’s allowed in or out.’

Suspicion flared in Kaiba’s mind. ‘It’s only been a minute but I’m already bored. If you don’t tell me what this is all about…’ He turned. ‘I’m leaving now.’

Ishizu lowered her head. ‘Excuse us. We’ve faced a string of thefts and we have to be careful.’ She looked back at him. ‘You may leave anytime you wish, Seto Kaiba. However, I believe it’s in your best interests to see all that we have to offer.’

‘Really now? Hm.’ Kaiba turned back around with a smirk. ‘And how do you know what’s best for me?’

‘Please, come this way.’ Ishizu turned and led him down the hallways. There was a lot of Egyptian exhibits, but none seemed to be what she had him here for. ‘Kaiba, do you believe in destiny?’

Dumbest question he ever heard. Well…nearly. Wheeler still asked some pretty dumb ones. ‘Does it matter?’

‘Ancient Egyptians thought that the true path of one’s life was pre-determined because history repeats itself throughout the ages in a never-ending circle. They would say it was not your choice to come here, for it was destined that the two of us would meet.’

Kaiba stopped. ‘Look, all that nonsense may interest you but I didn’t come here for Egyptian History 101.’

Ishizu stopped and turned.

‘I came here because you said it would be worth my while but it looks like you’ve wasted my time. If there’s a point to all this, let’s get to it already. I have a company to run.’

‘Hm.’

‘You said you had an exclusive offer for me.’ He was silent for a moment. ‘I know everything about duel monsters and nothing can stop Exodia. So quit the charade and tell me what’s going on.’

‘All in good time, Kaiba. Duel Monsters is based upon a five thousand year old game. It was played by Ancient Egyptians for power and was extremely dangerous.’

Kaiba’s eyes narrowed. ‘Who cares?’

‘Maximillion Pegasus did,’ Ishizu said. ‘He fell in love with the game and decided to reinvent it for modern times.’

Well, that explained how a flamboyant billionaire painter suddenly decided to invent a card game. Ancient and dangerous? Kaiba inwardly shuddered as he remembered his time in the Shadow Realm. Despite that girl’s assistance in calling the Blue Eyes White Dragon to help him, he hadn’t been reunited with Mokuba until Yugi saved them. Come to think of it, hadn’t that girl said the same thing? Yes, that was right.

_‘When I was alive, the game that you now call Duel Monsters we called the Shadow Games. It’s what Pegasus based the card game on, but if we lost we ended up here. The thing was that we played with real monsters and real magic.’_

But Kaiba wasn’t letting Ishizu know anything about that. Besides, how did he even know it’d really happened? ‘What’s your point?’

‘I’m getting to it. Unbeknownst to most duellists, Pegasus created a series of all-powerful cards that were never released to the public. It’s no surprise that he kept the strongest monsters for himself.’

That was true. When he’d been duelling Pegasus, he kept pulling out cards Kaiba had never even heard of. And he was sure the same had been done to Yugi. But, that brought up the point. ‘Hm.’

Ishizu turned back around. ‘Follow me, Kaiba, and I’ll reveal the reason I called you here today.’ She continued walking down the hallway.

Kaiba took a moment before he followed her.

***

Yugi sat on his bed with his knees hugged to his chest. He stared at the Millennium Puzzle, which sat just in front of him. _Seems like this Marik guy will do anything to get it. Or to make sure that no one else does. If he’d smashed it to pieces, like we thought he would, he could’ve destroyed it for good. We’re just lucky Sharee was there. But I know this is just the beginning. We’re in more danger now than ever._

 _ **Yes, Yugi.**_ Yami was suddenly beside him. _**But now that you’ve reclaimed the Puzzle and our bond is back, we can face him together.**_

‘But we have no idea who this guy is. We don’t even know what he looks like.’

_**Perhaps not, but Sharee and Shamee do.**_ Yami looked at him. _**Besides, haven’t we been in some tough spots before?**_

‘Yeah.’

_**So, we’ll get through this one too.** _

‘I guess you’re right.’

***

Ishizu led him into the basement.

‘I’ve secured the most precious artefacts here.’ She stopped in the doorway. ‘We’ve recovered stone carvings that depict the earliest known game played in Egypt. I’m sure you will find it most familiar.’ She turned. ‘Kaiba, behold the origin of duel monsters.’

Kaiba walked forward to the exhibit straight ahead. When the lights came on, he was shocked by what he saw. ‘It…can’t be!’ There was a stone tablet in front of him, and it clearly depicted the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics he’d been expecting. But the pictures accompanying them really threw him. ‘These carvings look like Duel Monster cards. Then that means your story is true!’

Even he wouldn’t deny that. Of course, he vaguely registered, that meant Pegasus was lying. He wasn’t the inventor of Duel Monsters. He recreated an ancient game into the one they played today. He’d adapted it, not invented.

Ishizu approached from behind. ‘I see you’ve come to your senses. Furthermore, there’s a theory that in ancient times these monsters were real. Egyptian sorcerers summoned monsters to earth to do their bidding. But they soon realised that the monsters could not be controlled. They destroyed countless villages and brought earth to the brink of destruction. The citizens turned to the Pharaoh for help. Though he could not permanently defeat the monsters, he managed to use his magic to seal them away in stone tablets and brought peace to the world. However, over time, evil sorcerers learned how to control the monsters and released them from the tablets. With their army of powerful monsters the sorcerers were confident that no one could stand in their way. They betrayed the Pharaoh and waged an all-out war against him.’ Ishizu came forward again and stood in front of the other stone tablet in the room. ‘This is the one you must look at.’

Kaiba looked over at her. ‘Hm?’

‘This carving is the reason I’ve called you here tonight.’

Kaiba crossed over and looked up at the second tablet.

‘It depicts one of the main conflicts in the war between the Pharaoh and his greatest opponent. Closely examine this artefact. After this moment, Kaiba, your life will never be the same.’

When he looked up at this one, he realised he hadn’t been shocked before. He’d only been surprised. Because the carvings on this tablet…they almost paralysed him. ‘That’s the Pharaoh? But that’s Yugi, and the monster carved above him is the Dark Magician!’

‘On the left is the sorcerer fighting against him. That’s you, Kaiba. If you still have any doubt, look at his monster. It’s the Blue Eyes White Dragon.’

Yes, it was. Kaiba would recognise his favourite monster anywhere. If all this was true and real, that would explain why the girl in the Shadow Realm had known to call that particular monster to help him. If it wasn’t all just an illusion, it was because she’d known of his bond to the Blue Eyes.

Ishizu went on, unaware of his thoughts. ‘The hieroglyphics read that the mighty sorcerer marched into the Pharaoh’s chamber and challenged him and his legion of noble magicians to a legendary duel, with the fate of the world at stake. The Pharaoh accepted the sorcerer’s challenge and their epic battle began. Both opponents unleashed their most powerful monsters against each other: the sorcerer fighting to control the world, and the Pharaoh and his loyal followers fighting to save it. Today, five thousand years later, this ancient battle is being played out once again. Do you see? Now, do you believe in destiny, Kaiba?’

Kaiba fought to recover himself. ‘This can’t be real.’ He did it quite well if he did say so himself. His hand tightened around his briefcase. ‘There’s no way. This piece of rock has got to be a fake.’

‘If you won’t trust my words, then you must look back in time and experience a part of the battle firsthand,’ Ishizu said. ‘Which I can help you do with my Millennium Necklace.’ Kaiba looked over as he saw a glow in the corner of his eye.

Memories of Pegasus’s Millennium Eye came back to him and he backed away. However, it was soon apparent that Ishizu had no such intentions. The glow got bright and brighter until Kaiba had to jam his eyes shut.

‘Now.’ He heard her speak again. ‘Open your mind and see into the past.’

The next thing Kaiba knew, he was hovering in the air, looking down at a massive chamber. It was ancient in design and made entirely of stone. On one end, there was a man that looked just like him. On the other, there was a different man. Both were backed by cloaked people who were chanting in a really creepy way. Between the two, but off to the side, sitting on an elevated throne was a man. He was shrouded in shadows but he was still clearly Yugi. Standing on the right side of the throne, hands clasped behind her back, and wearing a long pale linen dress, there was a woman. There was enough light being thrown onto her for Kaiba to recognise her.

It was Sharee Pertinicle.

‘What is this place?’ Kaiba asked no one in particular.

The one who looked like him raised a staff above his head. ‘I hereby declare a challenge to the Pharaoh. By the rights of tradition, duel me if you are not a coward.’

The men behind him made a clear chant. ‘Magic powers, heed my cry. Release the monster trapped inside.’ One of the stone tablets in front of him rose up and a dragon was released. It straightened up and roared.

The other man called out across the chamber. ‘As the Pharaoh’s loyal servant, I will stand against you, traitor!’ And a stone tablet in front of him rose up. The Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress was released. Kaiba already knew who would win. The two monsters roared at each other.

The Pharaoh’s servant called out again. ‘I banish you all to the Shadow Realm!’ That said, the Winged Dragon attacked. The Molten Fireball shot out of its mouth and into the other monster, destroying it. The stone tablet fell back and lightning shot out of the ceiling, hitting some of the chanters behind the sorcerer that looked like Kaiba.

‘Oh, no,’ Kaiba said. ‘What is this?’

Suddenly, he was back at the museum.

***

Yami looked across at Yugi. The boy moved up to his knees as he spoke. They’d finally gotten down to what had really been bothering him the whole time: letting Marik get away with the Puzzle, even if he did get it back.

‘I feel like a total loser. I almost lost you and the Puzzle forever. There’s no way I can face this enemy. What if I mess up again?’

_**You didn’t fail.**_ Yami knew how he felt. He was, after all, still just a boy. He needed these reassurances and such.

‘Only cause my friends came.’ He looked back down at the Puzzle. ‘In particular Sharee saved me. Otherwise, I’d never have escaped.’

Yami closed his eyes. _**You’re wrong, Yugi.**_ He waited a moment for Yugi to look back up at him. He opened his eyes again. _**You need to believe in yourself like I believe in you. In all my years, I have never encountered a soul as brave as yours, Yugi. There is a reason why fate handed you the Millennium Puzzle and brought us together. You have the heart of a true champion and a soul that is courageous and true. In another time, you could have been revered as a great hero.**_

‘Huh?’

***

Kaiba had fallen onto his hands and knees.

Ishizu went on with her story. ‘The duel raged on with neither side showing any mercy. They summoned monsters that were increasingly more powerful and vicious. The winner of the duel was written here but, as you can see, the hieroglyphics have been worn away.’

Kaiba pushed himself up so he could look. She was right. There was a spot at the bottom of the carving that was completely gone. But he thought it looked more like it’d been chipped away, not worn. Then again, he was a Duel Monsters expert not an archaeology one. ‘I see.’

‘Yes, but though we don’t know the outcome, there’s still much that we can learn. Let us take a glance into the past again, using the powers of my Millennium Necklace.’

Before Kaiba could protest the world flashed again. He looked down again and saw the man who looked like him flip up another stone tablet. La-Jinn emerged this time, with a dark chuckle.

The Pharaoh’s loyal follower was unintimidated. ‘Your La-Jinn maybe strong, but did you think I would not come prepared? It is no match for the combined fury of my dragons.’ Another stone tablet on his side flipped up.

This time, it was the Pharaoh’s chanters going on. ‘Let two be one. Let two be one. Let two be one.’

‘Unite, my dragons,’ the Pharaoh’s follower ordered. ‘You shall be unstoppable!’ The two of them crackled with electrical energy and moved together, fusing together with a polymerisation move and a new monster was created: a brown winged serpentine dragon. ‘Attack! Bombard the traitor with your blazing inferno!’

The beast opened its mouth and obeyed the commands. The energy blast shot across and destroyed La-Jinn. More of the chanters were destroyed. The man who looked like Kaiba turned, glaring up at the Pharaoh.

‘You have not won yet, Pharaoh,’ he said. ‘It is far from over. Do you think one of your pathetic minions have the magic to defeat me? I will shatter them from existence right before your very eyes.’

The Pharaoh merely turned and looked at him. It was a look that Kaiba recognised. That was the look Yugi gave to people he was duelling when they started gloating at him, yet he knew they would fall to his superior monsters or strategy. If Kaiba didn’t know better, he’d say that this man, sitting enthroned and wearing gold, was truly Yugi Moto. He was the King of Games.

But that was impossible.

This time, when he found himself back in the museum, Kaiba managed to catch himself on the wall. ‘That sorcerer’s a big-mouth losing chump. You can’t compare him to me.’

Ishizu smiled. ‘Well, then.’ She turned to him. ‘Maybe the final vision will convince you.’

‘No!’

But the Millennium Necklace glowed brightly yet again and Kaiba found himself overlooking the chamber once more. The one who looked like him was pointing to the Pharaoh’s servant. He was also back to gloating. ‘You should have finished me off when you had the chance, for I will now call forth the ultimate beast of destruction! Now, Pharaoh, this is the end.’

The Pharaoh seemed to detect a truth in the threat. He leaned forward. ‘Hm?’ Again, the look on his face was one Kaiba had seen on Yugi’s. It was the look he got on his face when he had the upper hand in a duel and the opponent had just truthfully stated that he was about to turn the match around.

Even if Yugi’s friends couldn’t tell the difference between when someone was bluffing and when they weren’t, he could.

The man who looked like Kaiba raised his arms. ‘My faithful monsters, you have all served me well. Wake from your eternal slumber and obey me one last time. The remaining stone tablets rose up and the monsters emerged from within. ‘Behold. I will offer them and fuse their life forces into the legendary dragon.’ Their life forces glowed bright and expanded until they covered his entire side of the chamber. Then, as the light faded, a very familiar beast arose with a mighty roar. ‘Now…the Blue Eyes White Dragon!’

‘Blue Eyes White Dragon?’ Kaiba demanded. He couldn’t believe this? Had this really happened once? It couldn’t have…!

The Pharaoh was on his feet instantly. The woman who looked like Sharee moved with him, looking like she sought to protect him from harm.

‘Dragon, destroy them all with your White Lightning!’ The man who looked like Kaiba commanded and he was obeyed. The blast shot across the chamber and destroyed the Pharaoh’s servant’s fused dragon with no trouble at all. Then it swept across and destroyed all of the stone tablets. This time, it was the servant and the Pharaoh’s chanters that were killed.

Their side of the field caught fire and burned.

The man who looked like Kaiba laughed and raised his staff above his head. ‘Victory is mine!’

But the Pharaoh still stood there.

For the third time, Kaiba found himself back in the museum and he was back on his hands and knees, shocked at what he’d just seen. Something gave him the feeling that the Pharaoh had actually won that battle. Ishizu spoke up again.

‘Now are you convinced, Kaiba? As I said before, history is destined to repeat itself. It’s not just coincidence that Yugi is your greatest opponent. You two have battled in the ancient past! It was destiny that you and Yugi duelled and it’s destined that you will battle again.’

Kaiba was not saying he believed this. He stood up and grabbed his briefcase. ‘Thanks for the lecture.’ He turned away to leave. ‘But I make my own destiny. And I do what I want to do.’ He began to walk away but Ishizu’s next words stopped him.

‘Kaiba, what I thought you wanted were powerful monsters.’

Kaiba turned his head.

‘The Duel Monsters cards that surpass the power of Exodia. What if I told you they were in front of your eyes the whole time?’

‘What?’ Kaiba turned around.

Ishizu turned back to the carving. ‘Take a look at the top.’ Kaiba did and he was surprised to see that there were three carvings up there of Duel Monsters. Ishizu went on. ‘They were the strongest and most feared creatures of annihilation. Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, the Winged Dragon of Ra. Control one and you can destroy a million armies. Wield all three and the planet itself will quake in fear.’

‘And Pegasus turned them into cards?’ Kaiba asked.

‘Yes.’

‘You lie! If he had them, why didn’t he use them against me at Duellist Kingdom?’

Ishizu turned around. ‘Because Pegasus feared the power of these Egyptian God Cards. You cannot fathom the magical energy contained within. Pegasus could not control the power of the cards he created. They threatened to overwhelm and destroy him.’

_Cards that make even Pegasus quake in his boots. Now those had to be some awesome cards. If I can obtain the three legendary monsters, I’ll be unstoppable in any duel. Yugi won’t stand a chance. But how do I get them? I can’t ask Pegasus. Not that he would. He’s dropped off the face of the earth. They have to exist somewhere._ ‘Ishizu, what did Pegasus do with the cards?’

‘He gave them to me for safekeeping,’ she said. ‘Pegasus realised that if these cards fell into the wrong hands, they could bring about the end of the world. He had me bury them in secret locations but the cards were discovered. I must find them and hide them once again.’

‘You mean someone already found the cards?’ Kaiba demanded.

‘Yes.’

‘Tell me who.’

This time Ishizu’s eyes narrowed. ‘The Rare Hunters.’

‘Rare Hunters.’ Kaiba’s eyes widened. He vaguely recalled hearing of them, but he most likely hadn’t been paying much attention at the time.

‘They’re a ruthless underground sect of elite duellists.’ Ishizu clearly saw that. ‘They rob and steal rare cards worldwide to sell on the Black Market for enormous profits. However, they keep the strongest cards for themselves to create powerful decks that destroy all opposition. They operate in shadows so they are nearly impossible to find. That is why I need your help to draw them out into the open. Kaiba, if you were to start a Duel Monsters tournament your reputation would attract the greatest Duellists in the world. This would be the greatest concentration of precious cards ever assembled in one location.’

Kaiba smirked. He knew she’d had an ulterior motive for calling him here. ‘I see. It’s a trap. The Rare Hunters won’t be able to resist such tempting bait. They’ll come by the droves, like vultures to a carcass. And they’ll bring the Egyptian God Cards.’

Ishizu crossed over to him. ‘One last thing. Take this card.’

Kaiba did. He was surprised at what he saw. ‘Hm? Can it be?’ He took the card from her and stared at it. ‘It’s Obelisk the Tormentor! I thought the cards were stolen.’

‘I never said they were all stolen. I managed to retrieve one in time. You may borrow it during the tournament, but I expect it back.’

Yeah, right! ‘It’s not everyday a card this rare is handed to me.’ He lowered the card. ‘What if I chose to keep it forever? What makes you think I can be trusted? I could walk out and you’d never see it again.’

‘You will return the card to me.’

Kaiba smirked and turned away, tucking the card in with his deck. ‘Hmph.’ Well, this had been worth his while after all. He headed for the door again.

‘I have foreseen it.’

Kaiba stopped and looked back at her. ‘I’ll bet.’

‘You may not yet believe in destiny, but before the tournament is done you will have to face your past.’ Her eyes narrowed.

‘You know, I read that once in a fortune cookie.’ He frowned again. ‘I’ll organise this tournament.’

‘I thank you,’ Ishizu said.

Kaiba looked away from her. ‘But I’m not going to set it up because of your fairytales and your hocus-pocus mind tricks. I want to reclaim my title as the number one duellist.’ He walked out.

***

Yami leaned against the desk.

Yugi was sitting on the edge of his bed. ‘I wish we knew more about this Marik guy. He said he was…familiar with the power of a Millennium Item.’

_**Yes, and Sharee said he had the Millennium Rod. That is doubtlessly how he controls peoples’ minds. It also seems he has knowledge of the ancient customs. Our foe is somehow connected to the past.** _

‘But who is he? All we’ve got is his name.’

_**I don’t know.** _

Yugi abruptly stood up, startling him. ‘Then how can we stop him?’ The look on his face was one of helpless fear.

Yami gave him a reassuring smile. _**Hm. Don’t worry. We can defeat this evil together. And, remember, while we don’t know who he is, Sharee does.**_

That seemed to calm Yugi.

_**As long as we stay connected, you and I can face anything.** _

Yugi stepped closer to him. ‘Maybe, but what if I…fail again?’ He closed his eyes and dropped his head. There were tears going down his cheeks. ‘How do I know that I won’t lose you?’

Feeling like a father, or an elder brother, coaching his son or younger brother, Yami smiled and covered the boy’s hands around the Puzzle. _**I believe in you, Yugi.**_

***

Kaiba sat in his limo again, looking at his newly acquired God Card. He chuckled to himself. ‘One card down and two more to go.’

Feeling in an absurdly good mood, Kaiba threw his head back and laughed.


	4. Steppin' Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Téa takes Yami and Shamee out for a day on the town to cheer them up.

Téa was pulling on her shoe before she left the school and headed home. It was Friday and that was always good. That meant the weekend was coming. They could get out and do something. There would probably be duelling at some point. And she’d be there, the faithful cheerleader.

Téa stepped outside. ‘Just great! There’s rain after school.’

***

Joey whistled merrily to himself.

Tristan turned to him. ‘Joey, we’re on mop duty. What are you so happy about anyway?’

Joey turned to him. ‘Well, my sister Serenity’s finally getting her eye operation and it’s all thanks to the three million bucks that Yugi won at Duellist Kingdom. She’s gonna get her sight back again!’

‘That’s sweet! So when do we visit?’

‘It’s not that easy.’ Joey went back to the mopping. ‘My mom’s gonna be there and ever since Serenity and I were separated as kids, my mom and I haven’t seen eye-to-eye.’ He gave a yell of surprise when Tristan suddenly got him in a head-lock.

‘So I’ll go without you. My only concern is whether or not Serenity likes me.’

Joey’s eyes narrowed. He should’ve known. ‘Don’t get any funny ideas.’

‘Tell me which hospital she’s at and I’ll go visit Sweet Serenity alone. You’d be a third wheel.’

‘Tristan!’ Joey spun around and grabbed him. ‘I’ll send you to the hospital!’

***

Yugi was lucky. He caught Téa waiting just outside the school doors, waiting for the rain to lighten up. At the same time, he knew Yami was dozing in his head. The Spirit may not have needed actual rest like he did, but he did need to rest his mind sometimes.

‘Téa,’ Yugi called as he crossed over to her. She turned around.

‘Hey, how’s it going, Yugi?’

That was the perfect opening to ask. Yugi looked down at his Millennium Puzzle. ‘Not so great. Actually…I need your help.’ His eyes flickered up for a moment. He folded his arms behind his back. ‘And so does Yami.’

‘Oh?’ She nodded. ‘Uh huh.’

‘You see, Téa, the guy that stole the Puzzle seemed to know a lot about its past.’ He hadn’t actually told his friends Marik’s name. Mentioning it now would cause Téa to ask and that wasn’t the issue. ‘That reminded Yami how little he knows about it.’ He looked up at her and smiled. ‘But you can help.’ He glanced around. The only person nearby was Sharee and she was listening, without trying to look like she was. ‘Hanging out with you might help him figure things out.’

‘Yami brooding about the lack of memories, huh?’ Sharee finally came over. ‘Yeah, Shamee does that too.’ She frowned. ‘It really bothers them.’

Yugi nodded once. ‘In that case, maybe it’d be best if both of them went out for the day.’

‘Sure,’ Téa said. ‘But how exactly am I going to do that?’

‘You always have great advice,’ Yugi told her.

Sharee chuckled. ‘They probably just need a pick-me-up.’

‘Just talk to them,’ Yugi said. The two of them ran out.

‘What’s the plan?’ Téa called.

Yugi called back. ‘Ten o’clock tomorrow at Domino Station! Thanks, Téa!’

‘No problem!’

***

‘I have a feeling today is gonna be awesome.’

The next morning, Yugi was standing in front of his mirror. He’d spent a good while trying to work out what he’d wear. Usually, he wore the school uniform because he looked younger than he actually was. He knew, though, that Yami made him look the exact age he was.

Unlike Shamee, who made Sharee look older than she was.

Yami appeared, sitting on the end of the bed. _**Tell me, Yugi, what’s this big surprise?**_

Yugi looked at him. ‘Well, if I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now, would it?’

Yami smiled with a chuckle. ‘No, I guess not. But I still have many riddles to unlock. I don’t have time for surprises.’

What was it Sharee always said? “To an ancient, a surprise was simply an unexpected event. It was neither good nor bad”. Yugi adjusted the collar around his neck. He had done a little reading on ancient people, enough that he realised the concept of what would happen today would be strange to both Yami and Shamee. All the same, they were still human. It’d do them good.

‘Don’t worry. What I’ve got planned’s gonna help.’

***

Shamee could kick Sharee. She really could – you know, if they didn’t share a body. Not only had she promised a surprise, but she’d come out here to where Téa was waiting and then switched over without warning and with no apparent reason. All she’d said before disappearing into her Chamber of the Mind was for Shamee to enjoy her day out.

Day out? What did that even mean?

The only up side was watching Yugi do the same thing to Yami. And he had a stronger reaction. ‘Yugi, this is not a duel!’ he yelled at the Puzzle. Then he realised she and Téa were standing there, watching him. A flush of embarrassment crossed his cheeks and he raised his hand. ‘Hi.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Shamee said. ‘Sharee did the same thing to me.’

***

Yami was surprised, confused and…oddly touched. Turned out this was “a day on the town”. That basically meant they’d spend the day wandering through the city, going into stores and centres and try to forget their problems. Apparently, it was very beneficial to people.

‘Hey, check this out!’ Téa suddenly said, digging into her purse. ‘Here’s something we can do!’ She pulled out what appeared to be a magazine article on some exhibit at the museum. There was a picture of a rock with an eye carving on it. ‘The Ancient Egypt Exhibit!’

Yami lowered his hand from his face. ‘Huh?’ He leaned forward and looked at it. ‘Now, that could be interesting, Téa.’

Shamee took the magazine from her and nodded. ‘Yeah…Sharee knows the woman who brought this stuff in. Apparently, she wants us to drop by some time.’

Yami registered that in his mind, but he also went back to what was bothering him. It must’ve shown on his face. Shamee flipped the magazine closed.

‘It can wait,’ she said.

‘Or we don’t have to go,’ Téa said. ‘It’s totally up to you.’

‘Please, you’ll have to forgive us, Téa.’ Shamee slouched in her seat. For the first time, Yami saw that she felt the same way he did.

‘Yes,’ Yami said. ‘Lately, we’ve felt like strangers even to ourselves. So many details about who we are and where we came from that we can’t seem to remember.’

‘Well, maybe we should start with the things that you do remember,’ Téa suggested.

‘I know our origins lie in Ancient Egypt and that I now reside within the Millennium Puzzle, but that’s about all,’ Yami said.

‘Yeah?’ Téa glanced between the two of them.

Shamee fiddled with her milkshake. ‘Sharee knows more about our old society, so I remember a little more.’ She rested her chin in her hand. ‘The king was viewed as a God and there was some kind of devastation…lots of lost lives.’ She shrugged. ‘That’s probably what killed us.’

The memories tugged on Yami’s consciousness. Yes…some unholy terror. She was right. That was likely what had killed them. But there was more. ‘When Yugi first put the Puzzle together and our bond began, it was as if my spirit was reborn.’

Shamee nodded. ‘I felt the same thing when I bonded with Sharee.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Téa asked.

‘Since that day I’ve felt that…I’m here for a reason. That destiny brought me to Yugi to accomplish something of great importance.’ His hand tightened around his own milkshake, the turmoil tearing him up inside. There was desperation in him that made him feel a burning need to accomplish this unknown task. ‘After the Puzzle was almost taken away from us, that feeling began to grow stronger. Maybe the key to understanding why we’re here lies in our past.’

‘I’ve got the same feeling,’ Shamee said. ‘I think Sharee’s little theory is the most likely alternative.’

Yami may have been trapped in the Millennium Puzzle when she said it, but he’d still heard. ‘That once our purpose is served, we’ll go back to wherever it is we came from?’

‘More to the point that we’ll go to the Afterlife,’ Shamee said. ‘We’ve been trapped respectively for five thousand years. It’s not like we can just walk home. As for that woman and child…’

‘Woman and child?’ Téa asked.

‘Remember that time when you four were all turned into Duel Monsters and Yami had to fight the Evil Spirit of the Ring for your souls?’ Shamee asked. ‘There was a little boy there too, remember? And then a woman came along, his mother?’

Téa gasped. ‘Yes, I remember! They seemed to know you two.’

‘Yes, and they have shown up every time we have gone to the Shadow Realm,’ Yami said. ‘I feel…that I know them as well.’

‘I think we do.’ Shamee pulled something out of her pocket and rolled it around in her hands.

‘Huh?’ Yami looked at her fast. ‘Meaning?’

Téa looked at her as well.

‘Do you remember how I was late to that Dungeon Dice game you had when we first met Duke?’ Shamee asked.

‘Yes,’ Yami said. ‘You said there was someone from our lifetime?’

‘A sorcerer,’ Shamee said. ‘His name was Mahad…and he knew me on sight. Thing was he had to wait to recharge his magic and send himself back.’ She paused, clearly considering what she was going to say. ‘I asked him about them. Turns out they’re the son and lover of some Egyptian noble.’

Yami rubbed his chin. Mahad…the name sounded familiar. ‘That explains the gold.’ He paused. ‘What’s in your hands?’

Shamee looked down. ‘Well, while we were waiting for Mahad’s magic to recharge I detected someone sneaking up on us. I snuck up on him and knocked him out. It turned out to be Bakura, or rather…not.’

Yami scowled. ‘The Evil Spirit of the Ring.’

‘And look what he had in his pocket.’ Shamee opened her hand. The object lying in her palm made Téa jump.

‘Isn’t that Pegasus’s Millennium Eye?’ she demanded.

‘It is.’

‘So that is the reason that Pegasus was out of contact for so long?’ Yami drew the necessary conclusions. ‘The Evil Spirit of the Ring tore out his Millennium Eye. It would have left him in a sore state.’   
Somehow he knew that. Having that taken from you could actually kill you.

‘In a coma,’ Shamee said. ‘Sharee had Shauna check it out while she contacted the Sacred Guardians with the news.’

‘The Sacred Guardians?’

Shamee nodded once. ‘The man who came into your mind, Shadi, he was a Sacred Guardian. When Sharee researched the Millennium Items, they were the people she asked. Another one recently came into town. Sharee went to speak to her. She essentially said “keep it”, so I think we’ll need it later.’

That was something to think about.

***

Shamee walked the streets with Yami and Téa. They went into basically any store that got their interest. The thing was, that wasn’t all Mahad had told Shamee. The reason she hadn’t told Yami that he was a Pharaoh was a simple one. Firstly, she hadn’t really had much of an opportunity to – he only came out when Yugi was about to duel someone.

Then, when she’d got home that day with the Millennium Eye, the house’s landline had rung. Sharee had answered it and it’d been Ishizu Ishtar. Shamee had been paying attention at that time, so she remembered what had been said as clearly as her host did.

_‘Good work in retrieving the Millennium Eye, but I am bringing Egyptian artefacts to Domino City, including the tablet that the Pharaoh needs.’_

As soon as she knew that there was a picture of Yami on the tablet, Sharee had seen a golden opportunity. Why not tell him he was a Pharaoh with the tablet? It’d be painfully obvious when he saw it.   
Shamee had seen it unpacked and hung up, so she knew her host was right.

Yami and Téa suddenly got Shamee’s attention. They were standing at a shop window.

‘Look,’ he said. ‘Players can trade their Duel Monsters cards here.’

‘Congratulations.’ Téa grinned. ‘Today must be your lucky day.’

Shamee chuckled. ‘The big question is, which ones are you gonna trade?’

‘Huh.’ Yami looked thoughtful.

‘Let’s go in and check it out,’ Téa said.

A good hour and a half later, they were leaving the store. Yami was happier that Shamee had seen him since either of them awoke. He was even babbling about what a wise trade that had been.

‘Excited, are we?’ Téa grinned.

Yami chuckled. ‘I guess you could say that.’

The next place they went into was Téa’s choice. It was a dance club. Having been with her host two years longer than Yami had been with his, Shamee understood the concept better. So when that arrogant Johnny Stepps guy came over and Téa ended up on the platform opposite him, Shamee began waiting for it.

Téa threw down her jacket and the contest began.

Yami’s lips pushed to the side in confusion as he watched. Shamee was suddenly painfully aware of the people standing around them. They were too close to be “out of earshot”. It wasn’t like he could just question her on the matter right here and now, out loud.

‘Shamee, please explain this.’

 _ **I stand corrected.**_ Yami had spoken in their old Ancient Egyptian tongue. She responded in kind. ‘I believe this is called a dance-off. In this century, dancing isn’t merely something servants do to entertain the rich, it’s a hobby too. It’s a part of everyday life. People who are really passionate about it do things like this. And it’s for everybody to watch. Strange to us, but we’re Ancient Egyptians.’ She smiled. ‘Sharee once said “the past is like an alternate reality”.’

At that moment, Johnny Stepps fell down and Téa won the dance-off.

***

The three of them later stood at the city’s nearby waterfront.

‘That was so awesome!’ Téa insisted. ‘Did you see the look on Johnny’s face? Hopefully, getting beaten at his own game will shut him up for a while.’

Shamee chuckled. ‘I doubt it.’ She was impressed though, Yami could see.

And so was he. ‘You were great today. Shamee?’ He stepped forward and leaned on the railing in front of them.

‘Yes?’

‘Earlier, you said that the woman who brought in the Egyptian exhibit wanted us to go and have a look at it,’ Yami said. ‘May I ask precisely how it is Sharee knows her and what she knows about us?’

‘Oh, that,’ Shamee said. ‘Well, you might remember that Sharee’s father is an Egyptologist. The woman in question is the head of the Egyptian History Society. But she’s also one of the Sacred Guardians I mentioned earlier.’

Yami nodded once. ‘I see. Then I think it’s time we headed over to the museum and looked into this. I feel that we must uncover the secrets of our origin, no matter where the search may lead us.’

Téa hesitated a moment. ‘Then we better head over to the museum.’

‘Great.’ Shamee suddenly turned her head and Yami knew she’d picked up a heart signature. She huffed and face-palmed. ‘What do you want?’

Yami and Téa both turned. It seemed Shamee had been right before, when she’d said “I doubt it”. Johnny Stepps had come over for one reason or another. And he was standing there with the self-confident smirk still in place. ‘Do you three geeks mind if I step in?’ He really liked those “step” jokes.

‘Just answer the question,’ Téa said.

‘I’ve humbly come down here to ask you for a second chance,’ Johnny said.

Shamee sent Yami her thoughts through their Millennium Items. _**I’m certain there was a misused word in there.**_

‘Second chance?’ Téa asked.

‘I’d have easily won if my leg hadn’t cramped up. I think that you owe me a rematch.’

Téa laid a hand on her head in exasperation. ‘Give it up!’

Yami scoffed and stepped forward. ‘I’ll give you a rematch, but we’ll duel my way.’

‘What?’ Téa asked.

Shamee rolled her eyes. ‘Why am I the only one who can keep up with him?’

Johnny glared pointed at him. ‘Stay out of this, porcupine-head!’

‘Scared?’ Shamee asked.

‘Huh?’ Johnny drew back. ‘No! This battle is between me and the girl.’

Yami looked at her. ‘Téa, may I finish off your opponent?’

‘Uh…sure.’

‘Good.’ Johnny smirked again. ‘I’m not afraid of either of you. Name your game, you little freak.’

‘The game is Duel Monsters. And if you lose you’re never to bother Téa again.’

‘Fine. Only if I win, the girl will have to go out on a date with Johnny Stepps.’

Yami’s smirk didn’t waiver.

***

Shamee stood on the sidelines with Téa. She knew Téa was worried, but she wasn’t. This guy hadn’t even bothered to ask who Yami was. If he had the name, she had a feeling he’d run out with his tail between his legs. He had a coward’s heart.

‘Challenging Johnny Stepps to a duel was a huge mistake!’ Johnny was gloating before it even began. ‘You losers have no idea who you’re dealing with!’

Yami merely stated a fact. ‘You’re the one who’s going to lose.’

‘You listen up, punk. Johnny doesn’t lose. Hey, you may think you beat me today, Téa, but that was only cause of a freak accident.’

_Johnny just likes hearing himself talk. **Not the time, Sharee.**_

‘Téa defeated you fair and square,’ Yami said.

Johnny spread his hands. ‘Believe what you wanna believe, tough guy.’

Yami closed his eyes for a moment. ‘All right. It’s about time you learned your lesson, Stepps.’

The next thing said was in unison. ‘Let’s duel!’

‘Why don’t I start off this show?’ Johnny laid his card down. ‘Sonic Maid in attack mode!’ The monster appeared on the field. ‘This Maid’s gonna clean your clock!’

Yami drew. ‘Or so you say.’ He looked at the card in his hand and then laid it on the field. ‘I summon Celtic Guardian! Attack! Destroy Sonic Maid with your Steel Sword!’ The Celtic Guardian charged and swung. It sliced right through Johnny’s monster, destroying it.

‘Huh?’ Johnny’s life points dropped to 1800. ‘It looks like you just got lucky, dude. But I wouldn’t let it go to your spiky head.’ He smirked again. ‘This duel just started.’ He drew. ‘I’ll make an even bigger splash when I play Water Amotics in attack mode!’ He laid the card down and the monster appeared on the field.

‘That card?’ Yami asked. ‘Just what is Johnny up to?’

‘What?’ Téa called. ‘Is something wrong?’

‘It’s strange,’ Yami called back. ‘Every duellist knows a strong deck needs cards that support each other, but Johnny’s monsters seem to be all over the place.’

Téa looked over at him. Shamee wasn’t sure either. He’d thrown out a monster that had the exact same attack points as the Celtic Guardian. Two alternatives were in her head. One: Johnny was trying to throw Yami off by doing this. Or two: Johnny was a blustering novice who only thought he knew how to play this game.

Yami looked back at Johnny. ‘If you think you can win by throwing random monsters against me, you’re sadly mistaken.’

‘Ooo, I’m quaking in my boots!’ Johnny mocked him. ‘Maybe your puny brain can’t figure out my plan – if you’ve even got a brain.’

Yami’s eyes narrowed. ‘Talk all you want, we’ll see who wins in the end.’ He drew and looked down. ‘I chose to end my turn without playing a card.’

Johnny drew. ‘Hm.’ He played it. ‘Spirit of the Harp in defence mode!’ The Spirit appeared on the field. ‘Along with a magic card, Chorus of Sanctuary!’ The card activated. ‘My little cherub friend increased the defence power of my Spirit of the Harp by five hundred points.’ The Spirit’s defence power went up to 2500. ‘And that’s music to my ears.’

If Sharee were in control of the body, she’d plant her hands on her hips, shift her weight and make a “huh” sound. That was a little better than either of them had thought he’d muster. Having Spirit of the Harp in defence mode and amped up, it’d be harder for Yami to get at his life points. But the other one was still there…and in attack mode.

Téa made a worried sound in her throat.

‘Really, Johnny Stepps?’ Yami had seen it too, of course. ‘Because it’s time for you to face the music.’ He laid a card down. ‘I summon Curse of Dragon in attack mode!’ His favoured dragon appeared on the field with a roar. ‘Incinerate Water Amotics with your Dragon Flame!’ The blast shot out of Curse of Dragon’s mouth and destroyed the monster.

Johnny’s life points dropped to 1200. ‘Oh! I just messed up!’ He grabbed his head. ‘I forgot to switch her into defence mode!’

That was about the time Téa realised it. ‘Johnny doesn’t even know who he’s up against.’

‘No, he doesn’t.’ It was Shamee’s turn to smirk. ‘Amusing, isn’t it?’

‘So far, you’re hitting all the wrong notes,’ Yami said.

‘Don’t worry. I’m just tuning up for the grand finale.’ Johnny drew. ‘But first, a surprise guest.’ He played his card and the monster appeared on the field. ‘Witch of the Black Forest in defence mode.’ He held up another card. ‘But there’s more to come, duel fans!’ He laid it down. ‘I activate my Polymerisation card, fusing Witch of the Black Forest and Lady of Faith together…’ The fusion began. ‘…to create a whole new rock ‘n’ rollin’ entity, better known as the Musician King!’

Shamee blinked. That was just weird. How did they manage that? The Witch of the Black Forest and the Lady of Faith were both female monsters. And neither were music types. How in the name of Ra did they create a male musician monster?

And Johnny wasn’t finished yet. ‘How about playing a little lullaby for Celtic Guardian?’ The Musician’s attack came in the form of sonic waves, accompanied by just bad music. But because the Guardian’s attack strength was lower than the Musician’s, Yami’s monster was blown away.

Yami’s life points dropped to 1650. ‘No, my Celtic Guardian!’

Johnny laughed in triumph. ‘I guess your Celtic Guardian wasn’t a big fan of the electric guitar.’ He looked at Téa. ‘I promise the music will be much more romantic on our date, Téa.’

Téa narrowed her eyes. An angry sound came from her throat.

‘I’ll just lay this card face-down on the field,’ Johnny set his card down, ‘ending my turn. Make your move!’

‘Curse of Dragon!’ Yami called out. ‘Fire your Flame and silence the Musician King!’ The Dragon screeched and let the Flame fly.

But Johnny laughed. ‘You fell into my trap! I totally played you!’

Yami drew back. ‘A trap?’

Johnny flipped his face down card up. ‘Time to crank up the volume with Metal Morph, which transforms Musician King into the punk-rockin’ Heavy Metal King.’ The Musician King gained armour and…‘His attack and defence points climb up to the top of the charts!’

Not quite, but it was strong enough to take the attack from the Curse of Dragon.

‘Play the Dragon a couple of rifts,’ Johnny ordered. Before the Dragon’s attack even hit, the Heavy Metal King attacked again, striking the strings on the guitar. It was even more painful on Shamee’s eardrums and the sonic waves, once again, blew away Yami’s monster.

‘How pathetic!’ Johnny crowed, pointing at him. ‘Looks like you’re nothing but a one-hit wonder!’

Téa leaned over and whispered to Shamee. ‘Do you think Johnny could actually win?’

‘No,’ Shamee said. ‘I can think of at least three things in Yami’s deck that could take out that Heavy Metal King.’

‘Giant Soldier of Stone, in defence mode!’ Yami laid down his next card. It appeared on the field.

‘You can’t really expect that boulder to stop my Heavy Metal King,’ Johnny insisted, just about sneering. ‘Especially not with Metal Morph. It increases his power with every attack! I think this next song is going to be…just a tremendous smash. Aaaand, kick it!’

The King attacked once again. His power rose up to 2700 and the Giant Soldier of Stone was cracked and blown away. At Téa’s next words, Shamee turned and gave her a bland look.

‘Yami’s in major trouble!’

‘Please!’ Shamee turned back to the duel. ‘Johnny Stepps is all about power. He isn’t much of a thinker.’

‘Why don’t you just give up already, loser?’ Johnny demanded. ‘None of your monsters can jam with my Heavy Metal King.’

Yami draw and Shamee saw the spark flare in his eye. It was what one saw when he knew exactly how to beat his opponent’s monster. He laid down his card. ‘I call the Dark Magician!’ His favourite monster appeared on the field. ‘Attack Heavy Metal King!’

‘The fun just never ends!’ Johnny crowed. ‘With Metal Morph’s effect, Heavy Metal King’s attack strength is greater that Dark Magician’s!’

‘Johnny, your ability to miscalculate is uncanny,’ Yami said calmly.

Johnny drew back. ‘Say what?’

Shamee smiled at Téa. ‘Told you.’

Yami pointed. ‘Your overconfidence renders you blind!’ He gave the order. ‘Dark Magic Attack!’ The Dark Magician leapt high into the air and the blast went out. ‘Your Heavy Metal King has been shattered.’

‘Impossible!’ Johnny insisted. ‘Cause Metal Morph raises Heavy Metal King’s attack power.’

‘You’re almost correct, Johnny, but you left out one rule.’ Yami explained it to him. ‘It’s true Metal Morph increases your attack power but only when your monster attacks. But since my monster attacked, Heavy Metal King didn’t receive the power bonus, leaving his attack strength less than that of the Dark Magician. Metal Morph is a powerful card, when used correctly, but maybe you should’ve read the instruction manual first. I’ve put an end to your musical mayhem.’

The card in Johnny’s hand fell. ‘But…that just isn’t fair! You must’ve cheated!’

‘Sore loser, isn’t he?’ Shamee remarked.

Johnny ignored her. ‘Tell me your name.’

_Oh, he finally asks!_

‘Just call me Yugi,’ Yami said.

Johnny’s eyes narrowed. ‘Wait just a second. That name sorta rings a bell.’ He suddenly drew back. ‘There’s no way! Not the same Yugi who defeated Pegasus at Duellist Kingdom? That can’t be you!’

‘I see that my name struck a cord,’ Yami said. ‘It’s time to finish this duel. And it’s your move, Johnny.’

“His move” was apparently to pull out and run away. ‘Just forget it. I can’t hang with you. I’m out, man. I’m a dancer, not a duellist.’

Of course, as he’d been doing that, Téa had moved around and stopped his retreat. ‘Yugi takes a slight lead in the duel and you give up. That’s just like when you tried to cheat and tripped me when I started winning during the dance battle. Look at you, Johnny. Where’s your pride?’

By this time, Yami was stepping off the duelling arena as well.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ Johnny insisted.

Téa was clearly happy to explain. ‘When things turn a little bit hairy, you get scared and start running away.’

‘Huh?’ Johnny scoffed and turned his head. ‘And so what if I do? Forfeiting is much better than facing defeat. Everybody loves a winner. I can’t let people see me as a loser.’

‘Tell me,’ Téa said. ‘How many friends do you have, Johnny?’

Johnny drew back, clearly giving the answer away but not willing to admit it. ‘I’ve got tons and tons of friends.’

‘None, right?’

‘One,’ he held up his finger, ‘I think.’

‘One, huh?’ Téa demanded. ‘Sure about that? Cause that’s one friend more than I would’ve guessed you had.’

‘Hey, just watch your mouth! I don’t have to stay here and take this.’

‘I can’t stand people who don’t face their problems.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Everybody fails sometimes. But the important thing is having the courage to look trouble straight in the eye. If you really wanna be a winner, be someone who never gives up.’

‘You’ve gotta point. Guess I was wrong.’ Johnny turned and walked away. He stopped for a moment, though. ‘Hey.’ He turned. ‘Téa, thanks for being honest with me.’ That said, he continued walking out of the stadium.

Yami and Shamee came over to her. Shamee dropped her arm on Tea’s shoulder. ‘You know,’ she said. ‘That was the best speech you’ve ever given.’

‘You think?’ Téa smiled. ‘Well, hopefully now he’ll face his problems instead of running away.’

‘You’re right.’ Yami looked at her. ‘And that’s exactly what I have to do.’

‘Huh?’ Téa asked.

‘Me too.’ Shamee looked past at Yami. ‘I suppose that means we’re going to the museum now?’

***

Téa stood with Yami at the foot of the stairs, leading up to the Domino Museum. Shamee had already run up and was waiting at the doors for them. Yami was staring up at the building.

‘Well, here we are,’ Téa said. ‘The Domino Museum.’ May as well get the ball rolling.

‘I think you were right about this Egyptian Exhibit,’ Yami said. ‘I feel it may hold clues to the mystery of our ancient past, answers to some of our questions.’ He looked over at her. ‘Thank you for bringing us here and for helping us today, Téa.’

‘What are friends for?’ Téa asked.

Yami looked up at the museum again. ‘No matter what’s beyond those doors, I’m ready to face it.’

‘We’re ready to face it.’ Téa reinforced the idea that neither he nor Shamee was alone in this.

‘Shamee’s waiting. Let’s go!’

‘Okay! I’m right with you.’

Yami led Téa up the stairs and to where Shamee was standing there, waiting for them.


	5. Obelisk the Tormentor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yami and Shamee learn the truth about their origins.
> 
> Kaiba kicks off his tournament.

Shamee strode through the corridors. Yami and Téa followed her. Due to the fact that her father worked here, Sharee knew every inch of the museum. And she knew exactly where the stone tablets Yami needed to see were.

‘You’re sure you two wanna go through with this, right?’ Téa asked.

‘We have no choice, Téa,’ Yami said. ‘It’s our destiny.’

‘Right.’ Shamee moved the barrier to the basement door aside. When she turned, she saw that Yami was looking at the door. ‘You sense it, then?’

‘Yes.’ Yami stepped forward and opened the door. ‘I sense something in here.’

‘In the basement?’ Téa asked, stepping closer.

The Millennium Eye on Yami’s forehead flashed visibly, to Shamee’s eyes, for a moment before it faded. Téa came over and looked. All the lights down the stairs were out so it was pitch black.

‘Is this a part of the exhibit?’ Tea asked nervously.

‘A private part, yes.’ Shamee pulled something out of her pocket and held it up. She had been aware that a security guard had been coming over and she’d pulled out Sharee’s pass so he’d leave them alone. He did, grunting irritably before he turned and went on his way.

A museum pass, in this context, was something that only certain people could get. If an archaeologist, or someone in the field, was temporarily at a museum it meant the staff wouldn’t recognise them. That meant it was harder to move around as necessary. So, to take care of this problem, they were often given these passes. In some circumstances, if they had them with them, family members could also gain access to these cards. Sharee’s pass gave her clearance throughout the whole museum.

If she wanted to take two friends down to the basement, she could.

And Ishizu had been especially adamant that Sharee have one of these passes before she even got to Japan. Yami was the first to move down the stairs. Shamee stepped down after him and then Téa followed.

‘Something down here is calling out to me, Téa,’ Yami said. ‘I feel that the answers we seek are near.’ They stepped down to the only two exhibits down here and stopped. But Shamee walked around and stood next to the stone tablet.

‘Startling, isn’t it?’

Yami’s eyes immediately went to one of the carvings. Téa, evidentially, was slower on picking it up. ‘Check it out. It’s some kind of Ancient Egyptian stone.’

‘And those carvings resemble duel monster cards.’

‘Yes.’ Shamee looked up at it. ‘This carving depicts a battle between a corrupt Ancient Egyptian sorcerer and the Pharaoh of the time, five thousand years ago. The Pharaoh…is the one on your right.’  
They stepped closer to the tablet and Shamee watched the understanding come into Yami’s eyes. It was about time he knew what she did and it was good to see his wits did not give way to shock. Hers nearly had the very first time. But Yami saw it and he calmly understood. Perhaps, he had already known it somewhere deep inside of him.

Téa wasn’t quite so composed. ‘No way! That Pharaoh guy looks just like you! Is this thing for real?’

‘Oh, it’s very real,’ Shamee said. ‘It was found in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. And all the ageing marks are accurate. There is a distinct difference between manufactured ageing and true ageing. This is one hundred per cent genuine.’

‘But it’s freaking me out!’ Téa insisted.

‘Yes,’ Yami said. ‘It is real, Téa. Somehow I know it is. And look, around his neck.’ Yami wrapped his hand around the matching item that hung around his own neck.

‘Oh, it’s the Millennium Puzzle!’

‘That’s right.’ Yami looked at the girls. ‘That appears to be me, playing an ancient form of Duel Monsters.’

‘Whoa.’ Téa was barely heard.

Yami looked back up at the carving. ‘This is exactly the kind of clue I’ve been searching for. But I wish I were able to decipher its meaning.’ All the same, Shamee knew Yami was reading the hieroglyphics as she had when she first saw it. Yami went on, even as he read. ‘Who am I duelling against in this carving?’

‘Actually, that’s quite simple,’ Shamee said. ‘Look above his head.’

Yami and Téa lifted their eyes.

‘The Blue Eyes White Dragon?’ Yami asked. ‘That would make my opponent Kaiba, wouldn’t it?’

‘Yes.’ Shamee looked up again. ‘I suppose that’s why they say history repeats itself.’

‘You know that,’ Yami said. ‘Then do you know what this age-old game all about?’

‘I’m not sure it was even a game.’ Shamee frowned.

‘Hm.’ Yami closed his eyes. ‘Just when I think I’ve found one answer, a thousand new questions arise.’

‘I wouldn’t worry about that.’ Shamee turned her head. ‘There’s someone here who can give you some of your answers.’

Yami looked at her. Before he or Téa could ask anything, though, someone came around the corner behind them and spoke first. ‘My Pharaoh, I’ve been expecting you.’

Yami and Téa turned. The Egyptian woman stepped forward. Shamee stepped away from the tablet and around her friends. She stood at on Yami’s other side and folded her arms behind her back.

‘This is Ishizu Ishtar. She’s one of the Sacred Guardians.’

Yami registered the last name, but he also remembered what had been said on the matter as well.

‘Yes,’ Ishizu said. ‘And I have uncovered many mysteries about you using the magic of my Millennium Necklace.’

Yami turned to face her properly. ‘Another Millennium Item?’

‘Like your Millennium Puzzle, this Necklace affords me certain powers,’ Ishizu said.

Shamee nodded once. ‘Ishizu can see into the distant past or the near future.’

‘With it, I have gazed five thousand years into the past, to a time when evil sorcerers threatened to destroy the entire world.’

***

Yami was only merely shocked at this statement. He felt, though, as if a part of him had known this. The theory that had begun forming in his mind now had the means to be validated.

Ishizu went on with her explanation. ‘However, there was one king who possessed a magic powerful enough to stop this evil threat.’

‘And who was this king?’ Yami had a feeling he knew.

‘The Pharaoh who saved the world was you, Yami.’

‘That’s right,’ Shamee said. ‘And the reason I’m here is because in refused to allow you to live in a strange time alone. I stood at the Right Hand of your Throne.’

Yami wasn’t really surprised that Shamee knew of this. She had, more likely than not, seen this carving as the perfect way to tell him who he was. He had a feeling she’d always fared better telling people things when she had something to work with.

‘And now the time has come for you to rescue mankind once again,’ Ishizu said.

‘To rescue mankind from what?’ Yami asked.

‘The events of the past will occur once again,’ Ishizu stated. ‘And that same Great Evil will return to threaten us.’

Yami’s mind raced. Now, not only did he have to worry about his own past but about the future of Yugi and their friends as well. ‘How will I recognise this evil?’

‘I know that your memory has faded, my Pharaoh, and that you seek many answers,’ Ishizu said.

Yami’s eyes widened.

‘I also know a Duel Monsters tournament is beginning.’ Ishizu turned. ‘If you win it, you will find your answers.’ She stepped away before she stopped. ‘When you return home, you’ll discover an invitation waiting for you.’ She went to go again.

‘Ishizu, one more thing,’ Shamee called.

Ishizu knew. ‘The woman and the boy in the Shadow Realm.’

‘Could you tell me who they are?’ Yami asked. Some part of him felt a need to know.

‘To an extent,’ Ishizu said. ‘The woman was well-known and highly trusted to the both of you when you lived. The boy, on the other hand, was not born until after the battle that took your lives. Farewell, Pharaoh.’ Then she was gone.

Téa turned her head and looked at him. ‘Wow, and you were this king that saved the world five thousand years ago? That’s pretty major.’

Yami turned and looked up at the stone carving behind him. Shamee was right. The person he was duelling was Kaiba. _**Could it be that I’ve got to defeat Kaiba to save the world again?**_ He wrapped his hand around his Puzzle. _**Well, there’s only one way to find out. I’ve got to win that tournament!**_

‘Yami?’

Shamee spoke. ‘I think now we should refer to him as “Pharaoh”.’

***

Kaiba stood in the testing lab. His new duel disk system for this tournament was going to be a real step up from what he’d had before. He knew Mokuba was worried about this because of what he’d done with the programming of the whole thing. But it was only for this session and he had to be sure this actually worked.

His chief technician’s voice rang over the whole place. ‘All hands stand by for the final tests of the new Duel Disk System.’

The supervisor’s voice reached him. ‘As you’ve requested, Mr. Kaiba, we’ve removed all safeguards from the computer.’

‘You’re crazy if you go through with this, Seto,’ Mokuba insisted. ‘If the safeguards are turned off, the monsters in this duel could really hurt you.’

‘Enough whining.’ Kaiba slid the duel disk on. ‘Let’s go!’ He extended his arm and the duel disk activated, swinging around and clicking into place. Lifting his arm, he looked at the device. _I invented this new duel disk system. And I’ll be the one to test it. I have to make sure the Kaiba corporation tracking system is working perfectly. It traces all KaibaCorp duel disks, allowing me to keep an eye on every duel in the tournament. And I can’t afford any screw-ups. But, more importantly, I want to test the power of my new Egyptian God Card. If I’m going to use it to destroy Yugi and reclaim my rightful title as number one duellist in the entire world, I need to make absolutely sure it’s as powerful as Ishizu claims. She may have bored me with her hocus-pocus nonsense about the past but she was right about one thing: Yugi and I will face each other again. And this time, with a deck full of rare cards, I will be victorious._

In front of him, the machines activated. The computer opponent was lowered into the lab. As that happened, he got a report. ‘We’ve updated the computer’s hard drive to your latest tournament rules.’

Kaiba smirked.

‘I’m setting skill level at max. We’re ready to begin at your command.’

‘Seto, are you sure you wanna go through with this?’ Mokuba asked.

Kaiba didn’t respond. He pulled his deck out and loaded it into the duel disk. The life points appeared on the screen. Kaiba had raised the life point count up to four thousand. He thought back to what Ishizu said: _‘Beware, Kaiba. Obelisk might be too powerful for you to control.’_

_Powerful, huh? Well, there’s no way I’d know how powerful an Egyptian God Card is until I see it with my own two eyes. And the best test of Obelisk the Tormentor’s strength is against the might of not one, but three of the most powerful dragons in all of Duel Monsters._ ‘Three on one may seem unfair but if Egyptian God Cards are as powerful as Ishizu claims, Obelisk should destroy them.’ He smirked and then called out to his staff in the observation box. ‘Let’s go!’

The Duel Robot turned on. Kaiba held his arm out and the hologram projectors shot out of the duel disk, stationing and establishing a perimeter for the field. They activated. The Duel Robot drew its hand.   
‘With my new portable projectors, there’s no need for oversized duelling arenas.’ The Robot’s life points appeared on the screen above the card-holders. Kaiba drew his own cards. ‘It’s time to duel.’

The computer interface activated. ‘Draw card. Accessing duel database for optimal battle.’ One of the cards was taken into the machine. ‘Set monster card in defence mode.’ A hologram of the card appeared on the field.

‘I’ll play this card face-down.’ Kaiba pulled a card from his hand and laid it on the field. A hologram appeared in front of him too. ‘Next I summon the mighty Battle Ox.’ He laid it down in attack mode and it appeared on the field with a roar. ‘Destroy his monster. Axe Slam Attack!’ The Battle Ox charged and brought its axe down on the face-down card.

The card was destroyed but came back together and revealed what it was.

‘Oh no! Cyber Jar!’

‘Monster: Cyber Jar. Special effect 1: Destroy all monsters on field.’ The blast shot out of the Jar’s eye and the Battle Ox shattered. The Jar disappeared. ‘Cyber Jar special effect 2: each player summons up to five monsters onto field.’

Kaiba gritted his teeth and drew the cards.

‘Set two monsters onto field.’ The two monsters in question appeared in front of the Robot. Both were in the form of face-down cards.

Kaiba went for closer. ‘I place four monsters on the field.’ They all appeared in front of him.

‘Analysing new tournament rules.’ The face-down cards took on their monster forms. ‘Must sacrifice two monsters to summon Blue Eyes White Dragon.’

‘What?’ Kaiba drew back. He hadn’t been expecting that. He didn’t have Obelisk in his hand yet!

The Robot’s two monsters turned into purple energy and merged together. Then, with a bright flash of light and an almighty roar, the Blue Eyes was descending onto the field.

‘Now, I’m in trouble. The duel robot already mastered my new sacrifice rules to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon. If it attacks now, it’s all over.’

‘Opponent has card face-down. End turn.’

_The Duel Robot didn’t attack because it thinks my face-down card is a trap, intended to destroy the Blue Eyes White Dragon._ ‘A big mistake!’ He grabbed the card and flipped it up. ‘I sacrifice a monster to summon Dragon Seeker! In defence mode.’ The Hitopsumi Giant was sacrificed and the Dragon Seeker appeared on the field in his place.’ _Dragon Seeker’s special effect allows him to destroy one dragon instantly when it switches from defence to attack mode. On my next turn, that Blue Eyes is history._ He smirked.

‘Analysing Dragon Seeker. Processing countermeasures.’ The Robot drew. ‘Set one card face-down on field.’ The card appeared. ‘Summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode.’

‘What?’ Kaiba demanded.

The Lord of Dragons appeared on the field. ‘Lord of Dragons special effect: protects dragons from all magic, trap and monster cards. Dragon Seeker’s effect negated.’

‘If I can’t destroy the Blue Eyes White Dragon, at least I can protect myself.’ Kaiba raised his duel disk. ‘I switch all my monsters to defence mode.’

‘Processing battle strategy. Playing magic card Flute of Summoning Dragon.’

Kaiba ground his teeth, apprehension stirring.

The flute appeared on the field and the Lord of Dragons grabbed it. He brought it to his lips and blue, letting the sound ring out more like a horn. ‘Magic effect: summons two dragons from hand onto field. Selecting dragons. Processing. Summon two Blue Eyes White Dragons.’

‘There’s no way!’

But the other two Blue Eyes White Dragons appeared on the field beside the first one.

_Three Blue Eyes._

The Robot’s face-down card flipped up. ‘Playing magic card, Polymerisation. Fuse three Blue Eyes into Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.’

Kaiba’s gut clenched. ‘No!’ He watched the three Dragons morph into his ultimate beast.

‘Analysing tournament rulebook. Fusion monster cannot attack on same turn it was created. Must end turn.’

The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared. Kaiba stared at it. This was it, his ultimate beast up until now. It’d been what he’d tried to beat Yugi with. It’d been the strongest thing his deck could produce, with a destructive power of 4500. And now all of that was aimed at him. Kaiba smiled bitterly. ‘Just great.’

Mokuba’s voice suddenly came over the speakers. ‘Get of out there, Seto! Shut down the duel!’

Kaiba glanced over at his little brother.

‘Seto!’

Kaiba looked back at the monster. _So, this is what it’s like to face fear. This must be how Yugi felt when he stared into the eyes of my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon at Duellist Kingdom._ Kaiba remembered the stoic face and the steely determination in his eyes, the countenance of a true champion that he only ever saw when Yugi duelled. It was so…intimidating. _He came close to bringing it to its doom but, in the end, even Yugi couldn’t defeat the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. So…if I’m to defeat him and reclaim my title as the Greatest Duellist in History, I must beat the monster that even Yugi couldn’t defeat._ His eyes narrowed. _Prepare to face the end._ ‘It’s time for my final test.’ Kaiba drew. ‘Now, I’ll see what an Egyptian God Card can do!’ He smirked when he saw he’d drawn the correct card. ‘Obelisk the Tormentor, I summon you by sacrificing three of my monsters!’ He slammed the card down onto the disk. Two of his activated monsters and the one face-down all disappeared. Their energies combined and flew up into the air. Electricity crackled and there was a blinding flash. The Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor, rose up with a deep growl and towered over the battlefield. ‘Obelisk the Tormentor, let’s see how powerful you really are.’ Kaiba pointed. ‘Now, I offer you my two remaining monsters.’ Obelisk reached out and wrapped his hands around both of them. ‘Absorb their power to increase your own.’ Lifting them up, they glowed brightly before disappearing altogether.

Obelisk’s attack power began climbing off the charts.

‘Obelisk, attack now. Show Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon why you’re known as “the Tormentor”. Obelisk, Fist of Fate!’ The God moved, his fist glowing as he brought the punch into the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. With that one strike, the Ultimate Dragon was destroyed and the Duel Robot overloaded, crackling with electricity as the life points dropped to zero.

‘System error. System error. Power overload. Danger. Danger.’ It exploded, leaving nothing but a fiery mess.

Kaiba looked at the card in his hand. ‘Incredible. If this is the power of one card, with all three Egyptian God Cards I will be unstoppable. I will defeat Yugi and reclaim my title as the number one duellist.’   
The thought of finally defeating Yugi Moto made Kaiba throw his head back and laugh.

***

Ishizu had been right.

After seven o’clock that night the Pharaoh, Shamee and Téa walked down the street. Shamee had driven them in Sharee’s car and parked it a few blocks away from the meeting spot. Her reason stated was “the traffic’s gonna be worse than a sandstorm”. Walking along now, the Pharaoh had to agree with her.

‘The invitation said the tournament would be announced tonight,’ Téa said. ‘Ishizu was right.’

The Pharaoh stopped, as did the girls, and said, ‘I don’t know if everything she said is true but I do know this: I must enter and win this tournament in order to fulfil my destiny.’

They were all silent for a moment before Téa said, ‘Just promise me you’ll be careful, Pharaoh, cause I’m sure there’s still danger ahead.’

‘Yes, whoever’s after the Millennium Puzzle is still out there.’ He reached down and pulled his deck from his belt. ‘But you must trust me, Téa, this deck has never let me down before. As long as Yugi and I stay connected to one another I am confident that we can use this deck to win this tournament, unlock the mysteries of mine and Shamee’s ancient past and realise our destiny.’ Inside his head, Yugi smiled.

Outside, Téa smiled too and nodded. ‘And you can count on my help.’

The Pharaoh smiled, but only for a moment. He heard the cackling laughter of Marik Ishtar. From the way Shamee’s head turned and her face darkened, she heard it too. Both of them looked around.

‘Hey, what’s the matter?’ Téa asked. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Yes, Téa,’ Shamee said. ‘Perfectly.’

The Pharaoh nodded once. ‘It was nothing.’

Shamee suddenly grinned. ‘Hey, it’s Mai!’

‘Huh?’ Téa asked. She followed Shamee’s gaze and then looked back at the ancient Right Hand. ‘I don’t see her.’

‘Give it a moment.’

‘Hey, Yugi! There you are!’

The three of them turned around. Mai, just as Shamee had said, was running towards them.

‘I know you guys missed me!’

‘It’s such a shame we don’t hang out more often,’ Téa said.

‘Yes.’ Mai got Téa in a head-lock so she was forced to bend over. ‘It is, isn’t it?’ She seemed to be enjoying annoying Téa too. ‘You’re looking snazzy, Téa. Is this a date?’

Shamee sniggered.

‘We’re just friends, Mai.’

‘Ugh!’

The Pharaoh was having trouble keeping up with modern day humans. ‘I assume you’ve come here for the tournament.’

‘But of course.’ Mai finally let poor Téa go. ‘I presume you got an invitation also?’

‘Yes, I did. But it didn’t say who it was from. Do you know who’s hosting this tournament?’

‘I have no idea. It’s a mystery.’

‘I know,’ Shamee said. ‘Kaiba.’

The three of them looked at her.

‘Why would Kaiba host a tournament?’ the Pharaoh asked.

‘It has to do with the three God Cards.’

‘The what?’ Mai asked. ‘I’ve never heard of the God Cards.’

‘I wouldn’t expect so.’ Shamee cast her eyes around. ‘Better be quiet about it though.’

The Pharaoh, Téa and Mai did the same thing. Téa was the only one who looked around wildly. The Pharaoh and Mai had focus though. The duellists around them were mostly quite…annoying to be mild. They could clearly see Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood. Mako Tsunami was also among the people around them.

‘This is beginning to look like Duellist Kingdom all over again,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘You can say that again,’ Mai said. ‘There certainly are a lot of familiar faces in this crowd. Most of whom I’m not too happy to see.’

‘Hm.’ The Pharaoh looked at his Right Hand. ‘What about these God Cards?’

‘Right.’ Shamee folded her arms and spoke in a quiet voice. ‘A while ago, but I’m not sure how long, Pegasus created three ultimate Duel Monsters cards: the Egyptian Gods. They were the most powerful ones he ever created but there was a slight problem. During their creation, all involved in the production died.’

‘All of them?’ Téa demanded.

‘Except for Pegasus, yes.’ Shamee scowled at her feet. ‘People started whispering about there being a curse on them. Pegasus is even said to have had a dream about the cards falling into the wrong hands and the world being destroyed.’ She looked around at her friends. ‘Pegasus took all of this very seriously – hard to believe, I know – and called Ishizu Ishtar to hide the cards away. She did, but two of the cards were stolen. She had to run to retrieve the third one.’

‘The Rare Hunters?’ Mai asked.

‘The what?’ Téa’s eyes were like saucers now.

‘Like treasure hunters, except for Duel Monsters.’ Shamee was familiar with them. ‘They steal rare and valuable cards and either sell them on the black market or keep them for themselves. They’re almost impossible to catch.’

‘I see,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘That’s why Ishizu brought her Egyptian exhibit to this city. She wanted to lure the Rare Hunters into a trap so she could get the cards back. To do so, she illuminated Kaiba to the existence of the God Cards. Perhaps she even gave him the one she managed to retrieve to give him added incentive.’

Shamee grinned. ‘That’s what she told me.’

‘Ingenious,’ Mai said. ‘Although is it really a good idea to give Kaiba a God Card?’

Before anyone could answer, the screen of the building they were standing outside flashed on, illuminating the whole street. All of the duellists spun around and looked at it.

Yami’s eyes narrowed. ‘Kaiba.’

***

Shamee stared up at the screen. _Much more of him than I wanted to see. **That’ll do.**_

‘Greetings, duellists. Welcome to the town of Domino.’ And Kaiba’s face was taking over every public screen. ‘But, more importantly, welcome to my tournament.’

‘I don’t know which is bigger,’ Mai said. ‘His ego or his melon on the big screen.’

‘Let’s hear what Kaiba has to say,’ the Pharaoh muttered, more to himself.

‘I see you each received your private invite to KaibaCorp’s very exclusive Duel Monsters Tournament, and you had enough brains to show up here tonight.’

_Ego._

‘Being that you are all elite duellists, I’ve added special rules to my tournament just for experts. For example,’ the screen flashed to a device he had on his arm, ‘you will duel using these new, improved duel disks.’

Around them, duellists muttered in appreciation.

‘Another new rule that I designed for the tournament is that before each duel both players must ante up their rarest card and the loser of the duel forfeits his card to the winner.’

The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed. ‘Forfeit my Dark Magician?’

Mai wasn’t too happy about it either. ‘That means losing even one duel can ruin my deck.’

‘But I think we all know what that rule’s for,’ Shamee said. That was so Kaiba could legally claim the God Cards, if he won.

‘My competition will make Pegasus and his Duellist Kingdom Tournament look like a joke.’

Around them, duellists called out again, this time in excitement.

There was suddenly a consistent strong wind that could only come from one thing. Shamee was the first to spin around and look up. The Pharaoh was quick to follow and then all the others. Kaiba was hanging out the doorway of a helicopter, like a character out of a bad action movie.

_Drama queen._ Shamee wouldn’t disagree with her there.

The Pharaoh scowled. ‘Kaiba.’ There then ensued some kind of staring contest that only their group of four and Kaiba were even aware of.

Kaiba raised his hand, pointing theatrically despite the fact he was in an airborne helicopter. ‘Don’t forget to register and pick up your duel disk because exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins!’

‘You’re on, Kaiba!’ the Pharaoh called.


	6. Stalked by the Rare Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rare Hunters make their first attack.

Even as he listened to it, Joey couldn’t believe it. ‘You can’t be serious! You mean to tell me that rich punk, Kaiba, is throwing his own exclusive Duel Monsters Tournament?’

Yugi nodded once. ‘Yup.’

‘And the whole thing kicks off in less than a week,’ Téa said.

Joey growled. ‘I can’t believe moneybags didn’t send an invite to me! I was the runner-up at Duellist Kingdom! Where’s the respect?’

Tristan gave him a bland look. ‘Here’s a newsflash for you, Joey: Kaiba doesn’t like you.’

‘I’ll give him something not to like!’ Joey insisted.

‘You know, this is exactly how he wants you to react,’ Tristan pointed out.

‘Huh?’ Joey drew back.

Sharee laughed. ‘Maybe so, but you got a point, Joey.’ She dug into her pocket. ‘As a matter of fact…’ She dialled. Everyone turned around and watched her. After a moment, she grinned. ‘Hey, Shauna, wanna do your sis a favour? It’s about the Battle City Tournament.’

There was talking from the other end.

‘Right. Great. Thanks.’ She hung up. ‘Your name should be on the system when we go and pick up the duel disks.’

Joey grinned. ‘You’re awesome, man! Maybe this’ll teach Kaiba he can’t keep me outta no tournament!’

Sharee chuckled. ‘Well, I guess that means we only have to really worry about Marik and those cards then.’

‘Marik?’ Tristan asked.

‘Cards?’ Joey asked at the same time.

‘Super-rare cards we have to get back from a bunch of thieves,’ Yugi said. ‘That’s why I have to enter the tournament. I just found out it’s the only way I can achieve my destiny.’

That had Joey’s attention. ‘Your destiny? What are you talking about?’

‘It’s kind of a long story.’

‘I got nowhere to go.’

‘All right,’ Yugi said. ‘Some kind of evil force is coming back from the past and I’m destined to join this tournament to defeat it.’

‘Then it’s my destiny to help!’ Joey insisted. ‘I got just the card! I’m talking Red Eyes Black Dragon, folks!’

Yugi, Tea and Tristan stared at him.

Sharee chuckled and shook her head. ‘All right, all right. Let’s not get over-excited. Nearly everyone died last time.’

This time everyone stared at _her_.

‘How do you know that?’ Tristan asked.

‘Because dad’s been deciphering the hieroglyphics from that time for two years,’ Sharee said. ‘He found a really long list of the dead. The evil is described as a “monstrosity from the depths of darkness and the heart of terror”.’

Téa drew back. ‘That sounds horrible!’

‘To say the least.’ Yugi wrapped his hands around the Puzzle. ‘And that’s what the Pharaoh defeated all those years ago?’

‘I’d say so.’

‘Huh?’ Tristan and Joey asked.

This time, Téa explained. ‘It turns out Yami, the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, is actually an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. He was king of Egypt when all this happened.’

Joey chuckled. ‘Well, I guess that explains why he’s so awesome.’

‘I think the word you’re looking for is “powerful”,’ Sharee said. ‘Anyway, Joey, if you’re gonna be in this you ought to know we’re gonna be working with Kaiba’s set of new advanced duel disks.’

‘The old ones were too advanced for me!’ Joey insisted. ‘They cost me the duel!’

‘That wasn’t the duel disk,’ Sharee muttered.

‘You’re a much better duellist now than you were then, Joey,’ Yugi told him. ‘But before you jump right into another duel with Kaiba, you should practice with the new duel disk.’

‘Then what are we waiting for?’ Joey demanded. ‘I gotta sign up for this thing!’ He ran off. The rest of them groaned.

Sharee just shook her head. ‘I’m glad Shauna works fast.’

***

Yugi was also glad Shauna worked fast. They got Joey a duel disk with no problems. Of course, when they stepped out it was dark. Apparently, Shauna had “accidentally” crashed the system a bit while she added Joey in.

‘Guys, I gotta get going,’ Joey said as he turned down a street and away from the rest of the group. ‘My sister Serenity’s operation’s tomorrow and I told her I’d stay at the hospital tonight.’

‘All right,’ Yugi said. ‘Wish Serenity luck for me, Joey.’

Sharee smiled. ‘And the rest of us too.’

‘I’m sure everything’s gonna be fine.’ Yugi nodded.

‘Thanks a lot, Yug.’ Joey raised his hand. ‘Later, you guys.’ He turned and ran down the street.

‘Bye, Joey,’ Téa called. ‘Good luck!’

***

Sharee was woken rudely at about two o’clock in the morning. Her cell phone rang insistently until she picked it up. ‘Someone had better be dead,’ she grumbled into the receiver.

‘Sharee, you had your sister hack into my mainframe, didn’t you?’

‘Kaiba.’ Sharee yawned. ‘What makes you think that?’

‘Who else possesses the skill with a computer to get Wheeler onto the system?’

‘Caught me.’ Sharee rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. ‘Well, he was the runner-up at Duellist Kingdom, and that’s where Yugi won his title: King of Games. Not very professional of you, allowing your antagonism for him to uninvite him from the tournament.’ Suddenly, it clicked in her head. ‘Wait a second.’ She sat up straight and flicked on her bedside lamp. ‘He’d be one in thousands! We only did it this afternoon just passed! I doubt you have the patience or the inclination to flick through the contestants. How did you find out he was on the system so fast?’

‘He got involved in a premature duel.’

Sharee’s eyes narrowed. ‘Against whom?’

‘Just five random guys.’

‘Five?’ Sharee demanded. ‘At the same time?’

‘Yes.’

_Rats!_ ‘Come on now, Kaiba, you know as well as I do they were _not_ random. Goodbye.’ She hung up on him and dialled again before he could call her back. Sharee listened to the phone ring before she heard the click.

‘Hello?’

‘Shauna, I need you to reroute a call for me.’

‘Sharee, why are you calling me at two o’clock in the morning?’ Shauna demanded. ‘Yes, it’s eleven in the morning here, but you’re on the other side of the world!’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Sharee quickly told her what had just happened. As she did so, she was stumbling out of bed and looking for both her shoes and her Bandanna. She was relieved, when she finished, to hear Shauna moving about on her end of the line. ‘So I need you to bypass the hospital’s main office and go right to Serenity Wheeler’s room.’

‘Okay…are you sure she’ll be awake?’

‘Trust me, if she’s anything like her brother she’ll be awake.’

‘All right.’ There was a pause. ‘Redial now.’

Sharee pulled the phone away from her ear and dialled the hospital that Serenity was in. She listened to it dial. Unlike when she’d called her sister, it didn’t ring for nearly as long. For a girl on the brink of losing her eyesight, Serenity grabbed the phone really fast.

‘Joey?’ she asked anxiously.

‘He not there?’ Sharee asked. ‘I was afraid of that.’ _Ow! Oh, there are my shoes._ ‘Okay. Serenity, my name’s Sharee Pertinicle. I’m one of your brother’s friends. I just got a phone call that made me think he didn’t make it to the hospital after we parted ways a few hours back.’

‘Yeah, he’s not here,’ Serenity said. ‘I’m really worried about him. Ever since we were kids if he said he was going to do something, he did it.’

‘I know.’ Sharee could remember quite a few incidents like that. _And there’s my Bandanna. Come on, Shamee. We have to find Joey! **I’m already looking.**_ ‘Right, here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna call our other friends and we’ll all look for him. With some luck, we’ll have him at the hospital by morning.’

‘I wish I could help,’ Serenity said.

‘You’ve already done all that I could ask for.’

‘Thank you.’

Sharee just nodded and hung up. She set down her phone, only to tie her Bandanna onto her head. She then scooped it up again and bolted out the door and down the stairs. She was already mentally reciting three more phone numbers and dialling one of them. Maybe Joey shouldn’t have thrown such a fuss in that store. If who it looked like had attacked him had, it was safe to say Joey was no longer in possession of the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

***

Yugi yawned as he just about tripped down the stairs and over to the phone. He yawned again and picked it up off the cradle. ‘Hello, game shop.’ What he heard on the other end woke him up immediately. ‘What? What happened?’ He listened as Sharee shot through everything she knew. ‘You’re right. I’m coming.’ Yugi hung up and darted back upstairs. He’d need the Millennium Puzzle, and proper protection against the night chill.

His grandfather was just coming out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes. ‘Who was calling so early in the morning, Yugi?’

***

Téa decided that whoever was calling at this godforsaken hour was going to suffer. Her parents slept like the dead and this persistent caller was not letting up. She stomped down the stairs in a huff and snatched the phone off its cradle. ‘Hello?’ She was sharp and curt, making sure the person knew she was in a bad mood.

The person turned out to be Sharee, who had seven words that killed Téa’s anger where it stood. They killed the anger and made another emotion rise up in its place. With a gasp, Téa’s free hand flew to her mouth.

***

Tristan hated people who called anytime between ten at night and ten in the morning. And this person called at two in the morning. He was tempted to just ignore it. But his parents were out for the night and all he heard was a never-ending ringing phone. He hauled himself out of bed and through the house.

Snatching the phone off the cradle he barked into it, ‘Hello!’

‘Joey never made it to the hospital.’ And Sharee killed his anger with one sentence.

‘What?’ If Joey never made it, it meant something had happened to him. ‘Where are you now?’

‘I’m running down the streets, heading for where we last saw him,’ Sharee said. ‘And then I’m going to run down that street and try to find him. Shamee ought to be able to track him down. I already called Yugi and Téa, so you won’t need to bother. But I left the house in such a hurry, I forgot to grab my dad’s motorbike. You got one, haven’t you?’

‘Yeah.’ Tristan remembered she’d seen it once before. ‘I’ll swing by and pick you up. It’ll be much faster than running.’

***

Sharee was deeply familiar with the sound of a motorbike over the sound of a car. When she heard one coming up behind her, she turned her head. She easily recognised Tristan riding along the road. He pulled up next to her. Sharee wasted no time hopping on the back and yanking the spare helmet onto her head. Tristan took off again.

‘I guess none of us were willing to stop and get changed, huh?’ she remarked as Tristan found his way back to where they’d last seen Joey.

‘Who’s got time for it when a buddy needs help?’ he responded. ‘How’d you find out anyway?’

‘Kaiba, oddly enough,’ Sharee said. ‘Apparently, when the duel disk activates he knows about it and, because they’re registered, he saw it was Joey. Called me to pick a bone.’

‘Joey got into a duel?’ Tristan demanded.

‘With five guys.’

‘Five?’ Tristan nearly lost control of the bike.

‘That’s what the duel disk registered, or however it works.’ Sharee scowled. ‘Anyway, then I called the hospital, just to check. You know the rest.’

‘Yeah.’ Tristan turned down the street where they’d last seen Joey running.

Sharee’s eyes scanned around and it didn’t take her long to see him. ‘Stop!’

Tristan slammed on the brakes and swung the bike to a stop. ‘Aw, man. Joey.’

Joey was slumped, unconscious, in a gutter. His duelling deck was scattered all around him. Sharee and Tristan climbed off the bike and walked over. Tristan immediately started gathering up the cards. Sharee bent over and checked Joey over for physical injury.

‘Is he all right?’ Tristan asked.

‘A bump on the head,’ Sharee said. ‘Might be a concussion, but my dad ain’t that kind of doctor.’ She dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical container with some kind of spices inside. ‘One way to know for sure.’

‘What are those?’

Sharee yanked the lid off and waved the container under Joey’s nose. ‘Smelling salts.’

Joey seemed to wake up fast and flinched back from that. ‘Get that stuff outta my face!’

‘Well, he’s not confused.’ Sharee capped them again. She held up four fingers. ‘How many fingers am I holding up.’

Joey opened his eyes and blinked a few times. ‘Uh…eight?’

‘And that is what double-vision looks like.’ Sharee stood up. ‘You rest there for a bit.’

‘You just have smelling salts in your jacket pocket?’ Tristan asked.

‘Habit,’ Sharee said. ‘Bit more to archaeology than people think.’ She looked at the blond at her feet. ‘Hey, Joey what happened?’

‘Uh…’ Joey blinked. ‘Well, there were these guys…five of them. They wanted to duel me. Actually, only one did the actual duelling. And then…’ He waved his hand.

Sharee turned her head. ‘Wait, were they in long dark cloaks?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Tristan, check his deck. I got a feeling.’

‘Huh? Sure.’ The cards shifted over each other as Tristan shuffled through the cards. A moment before he found it, Joey made a choked sound in the back of his throat. ‘Hey, the Red Eyes is gone!’

‘They stole it!’ Joey jumped to his feet and swayed.

‘Yeah, they do that.’ Sharee pushed Joey back onto his butt. ‘The Battle City Tournament rules don’t come into effect until it actually starts. The Rare Hunters steal rare and valuable cards and either keep them for themselves or sell them on the black market. Now, the Red Eyes Black Dragon is of a class that you can bet they’ll keep it for themselves.’

Joey ground his teeth. ‘So I’ll have a chance to get it back.’

‘Yes.’ Sharee smiled. ‘But, right now, I think you have a little sister to take care off.’ She offered him her hand. ‘I promised I’d have you at the hospital by morning.’

Joey looked up at her, smiled and took her hand.

An hour later, the sun was coming up and Sharee was standing with Tristan in the doorway of Serenity’s room. They watched as Joey’s little sister just about hugged the life out of him. Sharee smiled like that. It was a different sibling dynamic, again, from the one she had with her sister.

Sharee was just glad they’d found Joey alive.

***

‘Hey, Joey,’ Yugi said. ‘Serenity’s operation went well?’ Joey had just called them over the phone. There’d been a lot of phone calls between these guys in the last few hours.

Beside him, Téa cheered. ‘Awesome!’

‘She’s in the recovery room now,’ Joey said.

‘Who were those guys last night, Joey?’ Yugi asked, and he didn’t like the answer he got.

‘Sharee said they were the Rare Hunters.’ Joey sounded angry now. ‘All I know is I’m gonna find them and win back my Red Eyes.’

‘Well, I’ll be there to help you, Joey,’ Yugi said.

‘I know you will, pal. Listen, I’ll stop by on my way home.’

‘You got it! Bye.’ Yugi hung up the phone. _The Rare Hunters…_


	7. Yugi vs. The Rare Hunter Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi engages in the first official duel of the tournament.

The Pharaoh set the cards down. ‘You’ve assembled a powerful deck.’

Yugi was still worried though. _What if it’s not good enough to win?_

The Pharaoh lifted the cards up again. ‘There comes a time when there’s nothing left to do but believe in the deck you’ve created. Yugi, this tournament is unlike any challenge we’ve ever faced before.’

_Right._

‘The fate of the world depends on us, so you’ve got to be strong and trust in your cards.’

_But there’s still so much we don’t know._

‘Our destiny will reveal itself when the time is right. According to Ishizu, an ancient evil force will return to threaten the world and you and I must defeat it, by winning Kaiba’s Battle City Tournament with this deck. If you believe in the Heart of the Cards, we can unlock the secrets of the past and save the world.’

Yugi smiled. _Yeah, we can do this._

‘Yes, we can. But it won’t be easy.’

_I’m ready to face whoever or whatever we have to. You stood by me and helped me rescue my grandpa from Pegasus and now it’s my turn to stand by you. I promise you and I will work together to figure out your past. And we’ve got Sharee helping us too. You already saved the entire world once, 5000 years ago, but there was one difference then. You and Shamee had to do it alone and this time you have me by your side to help you._

The Pharaoh’s lips quirked up. Yugi was a brave one. He just hoped that bravery didn’t cost him his life as it did his own. ‘Thank you.’

***

Yugi was walking through the crowds, looking at an odd card in his hand. ‘This clear card was in with the duel disk. It looks like a map, but where’s the rest of it?’ He stopped. ‘Huh. It must be another new twist Kaiba threw into this tournament.’

‘Yugi!’

Yugi turned as he heard Mai call out to him. ‘Hey, Mai.’

‘Pretty big turnout for this thing.’ Mai looked around. ‘All losers.’

‘Well, there’s a lot of duellists here I’ve never seen before.’

Mai jumped. ‘Oh, this is so exciting! I wonder whose butt I should kick first in this tournament.’

There was suddenly an annoying voice to the left. ‘Yugi, I thought I’d see you buzzing around.’ There were old opponents coming over.

‘If it isn’t Rex Raptor and Weevil,’ Mai said. ‘I thought I smelled something.’

‘I’ll never forget how you played me like a chump-a-saurus at Duellist Kingdom, Mai,’ Rex snapped. ‘Now, it’s payback time.’

Weevil sniggered. ‘And, Yugi, next time we duel you won’t be so lucky. My deck is infested with swarms of rare and powerful insects.’

‘I wouldn’t go around advertising that.’

Weevil’s laughter cut off and he and Rex spun around. Yugi and Mai had to turn less because Sharee was just about standing in front of them. She stood there, her weight shifted onto her left leg and her arms folded across her chest. All the same, she clearly expected to be doing a lot of running and climbing through this tournament. She was wearing a pale blue long-sleeved shirt and a yellow skirt that went down to her knees. To protect her modesty when she flipped over, most likely, she was also wearing a pair of black leggings. The shoes on her feet were black lace-up boots that came up to her calves. And, of course, her Millennium Bandanna was tied around her head.

‘Oh?’ Weevil sneered. ‘And why not?’

‘Because there’ve been Rare Hunters spotted in the city.’ Sharee waved her hand, dismissing them. ‘That’s why not.’

Rex and Weevil grumbled, but slipped away. All the same, it didn’t escape Yugi’s notice how they kept glancing around and keeping their hands near their decks as they moved. Of course, it wasn’t long before Mako Tsunami hopped around and scared the life out of them. It seemed the Rare Hunters were pretty well-known to them.

‘Have we actually seen them?’ Mai asked as soon as they were gone.

‘Not us,’ Yugi said. ‘But they jumped Joey the other night.’

‘His Red Eyes?’ Mai frowned. ‘You better check on him, then. You know what a hothead Joey is.’

‘Amen to that. See you.’ Sharee turned and ran off.

But Yugi saw her glance at something as she went.

***

Sharee was relieved but she knew she had to move fast.

‘Greetings, duellists.’ Kaiba’s voice echoed everywhere. ‘Welcome to Battle City.’ Sharee, more used to the idea, glanced up as she ran. The big show-off had a blimp. ‘It’s time to put your duelling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City’s gonna be an all-out war. Before my Battle City Tournament begins, I thought I’d let you all know what you’re in for, in case you wanna back out now. Let’s begin with my new duel disks. Everyone who _I_ decided was good enough to enter received one.’

Sharee nearly tripped at that. Well, she had gotten Joey one and he knew all about it. But he was hardly going to announce to the world that there was someone out there who could get into his system with no problems. On top of that, he hardly was going to disqualify him either. That would be announcing it to anyone that found out that he was unprofessional. Like he said during Duellist Kingdom, he’d done his homework on her family. If they could get away with suing their government, they had no problem sharing that bit of information.

‘With it you can duel anytime, anywhere. And they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make.’

_Like Big Brother,_ Sharee mused as she ran into the building and headed for the stairs.

‘Next, let’s talk about the most important tournament rule. The loser of each duel is required to fork over their rarest card to the winner. If you don’t have the guts to risk losing your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now. And anyone who’s foolish enough can challenge me to a duel because I’ll also be competing in this tournament.’

_Yeah, for the God Cards._

‘But don’t get your hopes up because I intend to win. And there’s one duellist out there I can’t wait to defeat.’

_**Everyone knows who that is.** _

‘And speaking of winning, only the eight best duellists will make it to the final round. And these finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find the finals, you’ll need these locator cards. You each received one with your duel disk but don’t get too excited, because one’s not enough. You’ll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals. Every time you win a duel, you get a locator card from your losing opponent. When six cards are stacked together they produce a map of Battle City and activate a global positioning satellite, which will transmit the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long time away and most of you will be eliminated way before that. All right, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rulebook.’

Sharee came onto the roof and found Yugi.

‘Just remember, only one player can win and claim the title of number one duellist in the world. Now, get ready duellists. Let the tournament begin!’

‘Well,’ Yugi coached himself, ‘time to face my destiny!’

‘Okay, first,’ Sharee said, grabbing Yugi by the shoulder and steering him down to the street fast. ‘I managed to talk Joey into it.’

‘So he’s gonna let me duel this guy for him?’ Yugi asked.

‘Yes. Just don’t ask me how.’ She’d seen the guy before and she didn’t know how she knew it was him. It was just the old instincts acting up again, she supposed. But what had happened was unfair and they weren’t going to let it go by.

Sharee was satisfied that Yugi switched to the Pharaoh as they ran down to Joey, before their friend did something stupid.

***

The Pharaoh watched.

As soon as Joey confirmed the person Sharee had found was the Rare Hunter who stole his Red Eyes, she crossed over and slammed her hands on the back of his chair. The man, evidentially unprepared for someone to do that, started and twisted around.

‘Rare Hunter.’ Sharee’s eyes narrowed. ‘The Red Eyes Black Dragon you stole two days ago. You still have it?’

‘That wasn’t stealing.’ He smirked. ‘The tournament rules clearly state…’

‘The tournament hadn’t started yet,’ Sharee said. ‘Do you still have it?’

The Rare Hunter was confident and smarmy. ‘Yes.’

‘Then either give it back nicely, or we will actually use the tournament rules.’

The Rare Hunter rose up, sneering. ‘Is that a challenge?’

‘I take it, then, that you won’t give it back nicely.’ Sharee quirked an eyebrow and switched over. Shamee turned her back. ‘Very well.’ She stepped out of the café and crossed over to the Pharaoh and Joey.   
Pulling Joey back and out of the way, she said, ‘The King is your opponent.’

‘If you win this duel, I’ll hand over my Dark Magician to you,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘Yugi,’ Joey turned to him, ‘there’s no way I can let you hand over your Dark Magician.’ He glared at the Rare Hunter. ‘I can take him. I’ll never forgive myself if that ugly bum takes your most valuable card.’

‘Let it go,’ Shamee said. ‘He has to do it this way.’

‘I’ll have to risk losing my Dark Magician eventually,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘This is my first Battle City duel and the first step in fulfilling my destiny.’

Joey drew back.

‘Let’s get on with this hunt already,’ the Rare Hunter snapped. ‘The sooner I can take my prize, the better.’

The Pharaoh clenched his fist. ‘I’m ready to duel whenever you are, Rare Hunter.’

‘Yugi, wait…’

The Rare Hunter tutted. ‘Don’t even think about revealing my strategy to him, Joey Wheeler. If you say a word about how I defeated you, I’ll tear your Red Eyes Black Dragon to shreds.’ He threw his cloak off. ‘So, I’d give my mouth a rest if I were you and allow me to stalk the Duellist Kingdom champion and take his Dark Magician without your commentary.’

‘Tear the Red Eyes to shreds?’ Shamee inclined her head. ‘How will that help you?’

The Rare Hunter glared at her.

The Pharaoh smirked. ‘Fine.’ He set his deck into the duel disk. ‘I’ll duel you one-on-one.’ He held his arm out. ‘Activate holo-imagers!’ The projectors shot out and took up their position, establishing his side of the field. The Pharaoh raised his arm, allowing the duel disk to move into shape. It activated.

The Rare Hunter did the exact same thing. People had cleared a wide berth for them. Shamee and Joey stood nearest to the duel, right behind the Pharaoh. Of course, now that he knew he was a Pharaoh and she was his Right Hand it meant Shamee’s placement around him made a lot more sense – protocol that had been drummed into her from a young age.

When at the Pharaoh’s side, stand this far away and behind him, remain on the right.

***

Kaiba watched the screen flash up the information. ‘How fitting that Yugi is competing in the very first duel of my tournament.’ He was likely trying to get the Red Eyes Black Dragon back for Wheeler.

‘Hey, look!’ Mokuba leaned over their computer. ‘The other duels are coming in now too. Our system is recording all the cards being played. If anyone uses one of the two remaining Egyptian God Cards we’ll know exactly where it is.’

***

‘Let’s duel!’

The Pharaoh noted that Kaiba had raised the life points up to 4000, instead of the old 2000 that they used to play with. Both of them drew five cards and the Pharaoh started off, drawing. ‘I draw first, now get ready.’

The Rare Hunter looked at the cards in his hand. He looked a little too cocky.

‘Yug, watch out for him!’ Joey called.

‘Silence, Wheeler,’ the Rare Hunter snapped. ‘Or say goodbye to your Red Eyes.’

‘To start off, I place two cards face-down on the field.’ The Pharaoh laid the cards down. The holograms appeared in front of him. ‘Next I summon Beta, the Magnet Warrior in attack mode!’ He laid the card face-up. It appeared on the field and emerged from its card. ‘Can you handle my newest monster?’

‘My first card will be…’ He drew and his brow twitched. ‘Just what I suspected.’ He turned it around. ‘Graceful Charity lets me draw three cards…’ He did just that and took some from his hand. ‘And I discard two.’ He looked rather pleased at what he saw. ‘If you only knew what was in my hand, waiting, you’d forfeit now and relinquish your rare Dark Magician.’

‘Never.’ He activated one of his face-down cards. ‘I may not know what’s in your hand, but my trap card Light of Intervention reveals all your hidden monsters on the field.’ It flipped up. ‘There will be no surprise attacks from you.’

The Rare Hunter smirked. ‘Hm. Doesn’t matter.’ He laid a card down. ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs, in defence mode.’ The card and its monster appeared on the field.

_All he’s done so far is draw cards and play defence. He must be waiting for something._ ‘It’s time for your Stone Statue to crumble.’ The Pharaoh drew. ‘Now! By Battle City rules, I sacrifice my weaker Magnet Warrior…’ It disappeared in a flash of light. ‘…to summon the almighty Berfomet!’ The Berfomet appeared on the field with a great roar. A blast shot out of his mouth. And he is able to bring forth Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts!’ Gizelle emerged out of the light with his own roar. ‘And that’s not all. Now, I use Polymerisation…’ His other down card flipped up and glowed brightly. ‘…to fuse them together…’ With a bright spiral of light Berfomet and Gizelle were merged into one beast. ‘…forming Kimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!’ Kimera settled down on the field floor. ‘On my next turn, my all-powerful Kimera will erode your Stone Statue into tiny pieces of rubble. Then, according to Battle City rules, once you have no monsters on the field, I can attack your life points directly!’

‘Very impressive,’ the Rare Hunter said. ‘But you’ll need more than that to scare off the Hunter.’

Joey tried again. ‘Listen, Yug, this guy’s got a plan to wipe you out. Check out the grin on that ugly kisser of his! This is exactly what the old creep did to me. He’s got something in his hand that’s gonna…’

‘Silence, Wheeler!’ The Rare Hunter cut him off again. ‘One more word out of you and say goodbye to your Red Eyes forever!’

The Pharaoh turned that over in his head. ‘I’ll end my turn by placing this card face-down on the field.’ He set the card and it appeared in front of him.

‘I predict another Graceful Charity.’ The Rare Hunter drew. ‘Well, what do you know?’ He played the card. ‘I was correct. I draw three more cards…’ He took them from his deck. ‘…and discard too.’ He took two out of his hand and added them to his graveyard.

_How does he know what card he’ll draw next?_ The Pharaoh would really have liked to know that one.

And that guy still seemed way too cocky.

***

‘This duellist is battling well against Yugi,’ Kaiba remarked. ‘But who is he? What info do we have on him?’

One of the operators answered. ‘Very little. He wasn’t listed in your tournament database until about a week ago.’

‘What?’ Kaiba demanded. ‘How’s that possible?’

‘He must’ve hacked into the system and added himself.’

‘That’s illegal!’ Mokuba insisted.

‘He calls himself a “rare hunter”.’

Kaiba looked at the images of the man in question. So, the Rare Hunters had finally graced them with their presence. Ishizu’s idea had worked perfectly. They’d come into the trap like, as he’d said, vultures to a carcass.

‘We’ll disqualify him!’ Mokuba turned to him. ‘Right, Seto?’ He went to run off.

But Kaiba had a different idea. ‘Wait.’

‘Huh?’ Mokuba looked back at him.

Kaiba looked forward again. ‘Hm. Rare Hunters. They took my bait.’ He smirked. ‘Mokuba, it’s just as I planned.’

‘Huh?’ His brother was, understandably, confused.

***

Shamee stood next to Joey, watching the duel.

‘Yugi, your Dark Magician is as good as mine,’ the Rare Hunter said. ‘Now, I’ll strengthen my defences.’ He pulled a card from his hand. ‘To protect me Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress!’ The card and its monster appeared on the field, in defence mode. ‘Even your Kimera’s not powerful enough to destroy it.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

‘What are you going to do now, Yugi?’ The Rare Hunter gloated. ‘You can’t beat me if you can’t get by my defences.’

‘You might be protecting your life points with fortresses and stone walls, Rare Hunter, but in order for you to win this duel you must attack me eventually. So what are you waiting for?’

That was a point. _**And why does he have more than one monster with huge defence points but tiny attack points?**_

‘Oh, you’ll find out soon enough, Yugi,’ the Rare Hunter said. ‘So go ahead. Make your move. The Hunter will strike his prey when the time is right.’

Joey was shaking behind her. Suddenly his hand clamped on her shoulder. Only her quick reflexes allowed her to hold him back. ‘Hey, Yugi. Hold it. I can’t stand by and watch this. No way. I won’t let you lose your Dark Magician for me.’

‘That’s enough, Joey,’ the Pharaoh told him. ‘You must not reveal the Rare Hunter’s strategy. I will defeat him. You’re my friend, Joey, and I am fighting this duel for you, just as you would do for me.’

‘You’re right,’ Joey said.

The Pharaoh turned around. ‘Do you remember the time Weevil through my Exodia cards into the ocean? You risked your life to try to get my cards back. Not just because Exodia is the most powerful card in the game, but because I was a friend in need.’

Sharee and Shamee had both taken note of the look on both Joey’s and the Rare’ Hunter’s face. _That’s it! That makes sense. This Rare Hunter’s drawing his cards until he can assemble all five pieces of Exodia. Of course…those cards are probably fake._

From the look on the Pharaoh’s face, he and Yugi worked it out too. He turned back to him. ‘I’m onto you. I know your strategy, Rare Hunter!’

‘Hm?’ The Rare Hunter drew back.

The Pharaoh pointed at him. ‘You’re planning to summon Exodia, the Forbidden One!’

The Rare Hunter cried out in shock.

‘All right!’ Joey cheered.

The Pharaoh grinned and gave him a thumb’s up. ‘Thank you, Joey. You allowed me to figure out his strategy without actually telling it to me.’

‘Aw, yeah.’ Joey returned the thumb’s up.

The Rare Hunter sneered. ‘Just because you figured out my strategy doesn’t stop me from succeeding! Everyone knows Exodia’s the most powerful creature in Duel Monsters. How will you stop the unstoppable Exodia?’

‘True,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘No one has ever defeated Exodia. But in order to win back Joey’s Red Eyes Black Dragon, I’ll be the first.’

‘Give up, Yugi! My hunt is over!’


	8. Yugi vs. The Rare Hunter Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Rare Hunter's strategy worked out, the Pharaoh needs to find some way to stop him from summoning Exodia.

The Pharaoh stared across at the Rare Hunter. _I may have figured out his plan to summon Exodia, but now I have to figure out a way to stop it._ And that was going to be far from easy, confident as Joey was over there.

The Rare Hunter laughed. ‘That’s nice work, but I’m afraid it’s too little too late.’ He laughed again. The odds were, then, that most of the pieces of Exodia were in his hand. So, they really didn’t have much time. The Pharaoh racked his brain for the way to stop this from happening and went over everything he’d seen of this duellist’s tactics so far. _**Hmm.**_

***

‘Our satellite imaging indicates the Rare Hunter’s cards are coded with an invisible ink,’ the operator reported.

‘Marked cards?’ Mokuba demanded. ‘That means he always knows which card he’ll draw.’

‘Let it go, Mokuba,’ Kaiba said. He had no doubt that Yugi would beat these guys. After all, he’d beaten Pegasus and that Millennium Eye. While he tried not to believe a word of that stuff, but he’d had his soul ripped out. That really hurt! More to the point, he’d seen the same thing happen to his little brother.

Not that he’d admit that to anyone.

‘But, Seto, the guy’s a menace!’ Mokuba insisted. ‘First he hacks into your database and now this? Come on!’

‘Mokuba, I’m well aware of that but I’m willing to let him slide this time.’

‘Sorry, big brother, you made me Battle City Commissioner so I could enforce the rules!’ He pointed. ‘Give me one reason why I shouldn’t bust that cheat out there!’

‘Because I need him,’ Kaiba said. ‘This Rare Hunter may have something I want, Mokuba.’ His eyes narrowed. _Besides, I can’t wait to see Yugi squirm when he faces the same Exodia he used to defeat me._

***

The Pharaoh took a card from his deck. ‘It’s my move now.’ He laid it down. ‘I place one card face-down on the field and I attack with Kimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!’ The Beast lurched forward with a roar. ‘Demolish his Stone Statue!’ Kimera collided with the Statue and sent debris flying. It shattered. ‘You’re left with one monster.’

The Rare Hunter laughed in triumph. ‘That doesn’t matter to me. You’re done! I knew that even you couldn’t beat me in one turn! All I have to do is draw my next card and not only will I win this duel, but I’ll score an even greater prize!’ He reached for his deck. ‘First I won Joey’s Red Eyes Black Dragon and now I’ll take your Dark Magician! My master will be extremely pleased. Bye-bye, Yugi. Now, I will draw the final…’

‘Not so fast, Rare Hunter!’ The Pharaoh cut him off.

The Rare Hunter drew back. ‘A trap? What is it?’ The card flipped up. ‘Time Seal? That stops me from drawing any cards.’ He glared as the card activated.

‘And that means you can’t pick the final Exodia card yet,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘This duel is far from over, Rare Hunter.’

The Rare Hunter sneered again. ‘A desperate move from my desperate prey.’

‘Whew!’ Joey sighed behind him. ‘I thought Yugi was a goner.’

_My Time Seal trap will only last one turn so I’ve got to stop him with my next card. I have to win this duel so I can start figuring out the secrets of the past. The fate of the entire world depends on it. Now, I can’t let him draw the fifth piece of Exodia and I can’t just keep skipping his turn. There’s gotta be a card in my deck that’ll stop this Rare Hunter from summoning the Unbeatable Exodia._ Yes, there was. _And I need to draw it right now._ They drew together. ‘I play Light Force Sword!’ He held the card up and it glowed brightly.

‘Huh?’ The Rare Hunter looked at it curiously.

‘It will randomly attack one card in your hand,’ the Pharaoh said, ‘preventing you from using it for three full turns.’ He played it. ‘And I’ll aim for a piece of Exodia!’ The Sword appeared above him.

‘Oh, no!’

_I can’t control which card my sword will slash! If it doesn’t get an Exodia piece, I’ll lose the duel!_ The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed. ‘Go, Light Force Sword!’ The blade shot down and lanced through the cards in his hand.

‘Not that one!’ It’d gotten part of Exodia. ‘You pierced Exodia’s Right Arm!’

The Pharaoh smirked.

***

‘The Rare Hunter only has three Exodia pieces in his hand now,’ Mokuba stated.

Kaiba watched calmly. From the looks of this, Yugi becoming aware of the existence of Exodia in his deck was what would facilitate the Rare Hunter’s defeat. That meant what Yugi was aiming for was to ensure that Exodia could never even be summoned.

Kaiba knew he should’ve known.

***

‘I’m not done yet, Rare Hunter.’ The Pharaoh played another card. ‘To wipe out your monsters I’ll start by sacrificing Kimera…’ The beast disappeared. ‘…for Summoned Skull!’

The Rare Hunter drew back in annoyance.

‘Summoned Skull, attack! With Lightning Strike!’ The Skull screeched and glowed. The electricity crackled around it and then struck the Rare Hunter’s monster, destroying it.

‘Well, all right!’ Joey cheered. ‘Way to put that caped clown on the “endangered species” list.’

‘You see?’ the Pharaoh asked. ‘Your Exodia maybe unstoppable as a whole, but the five cards that make it up are easy prey.’

The Rare Hunter gritted his teeth. ‘Now it’s my turn.’ He drew.

‘Rare Hunter, you have no monsters to defend you,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Looks like a whole new game.’

But the Rare Hunter laughed. ‘A whole new game? Hardly, Yugi! You really think you can stop me with one card?’

‘I do.’

‘A professional card hunter like me is prepared for any situation.’ He laughed again.

The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed. What did he have?

‘Take this!’ The Rare Hunter threw down a card. ‘Swords of Revealing Light!’

‘Oh, no!’ Usually, he was the one who used this card. ‘Not the Swords! I can’t attack.’

‘And that means you won’t deplete my life points,’ the Rare Hunter crowed. He laughed manically.

‘Come on, Yug!’ Joey called. ‘You gotta get to him before he gets that last piece of Exodia!’

***

Beside him, Mokuba ground his teeth. ‘Seto, why are we letting that cheat beat Yugi?’

‘Why not?’ Kaiba asked. ‘Yugi should have been prepared for anything.’ _Besides, it’s about time Yugi felt what’s it’s like to face Exodia._

***

‘It’s my move,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘I’ll draw one card.’ He did so. ‘And end my turn.’

The Rare Hunter sniggered. ‘Thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light, that’s all you can do. You’re reduced to watching your own duel, unable to attack, unable to even move. I should just end your misery. Why wait for your magic card to expire when I can draw another Right Arm from my deck?’

The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed but he wasn’t too worried.

‘Exodia cards are so rare that most duellists don’t own a single piece, but I have three copies of each which means that there are two more right arms waiting in my deck.’

The Pharaoh smirked. ‘Hmph.’

‘Hey!’ the Rare Hunter snapped. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘Your deck’s loaded down with so many Exodia body parts the odds of drawing the Right Arm are slim-to-none.’

‘We’ll find out, won’t we?’

The Pharaoh closed his eyes confidently. ‘Your mistake is that you’re relying on one monster, but a good duelling deck requires the right balance of cards. And you’re still a prisoner of my Light Force Sword, which means I have three turns to defeat you.’ He held up three fingers.

The Rare Hunter smirked too. ‘Hm, wishful thinking, Yugi.’ He took a card. ‘It’s my draw.’

‘Come on, Yug,’ Joey called from the sidelines. ‘You can do it, buddy. You still got two turns to figure out how to stop this card-swiping freak.’

That was already in his head. The Pharaoh drew. ‘I play one card face down.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘And I summon Alpha, the Magnet Warrior.’ He held up the card before playing it. ‘In attack mode.’ The card and monster both appeared.

‘You forget about my Swords of Revealing Light?’ The Rare Hunter gloated. ‘You can’t attack.’

‘I can’t, yet.’

The Rare Hunter drew back, startled.

‘But once I destroy your Swords, my monsters will be let loose.’

‘You won’t.’

_**I will.**_ ‘And, remember, your deck has a tragic flaw. It’s cluttered with so many Exodia pieces that you squeezed out room for other cards needed to protect your life points. You need more magic and trap cards to destroy my monsters. But all you have in your hand are Exodia cards.’

The Rare Hunter looked down at his hand. From the look on his face, that was right.

‘And take a look in front of you, Rare Hunter. I’ve already destroyed the only two monsters you summoned, leaving you without a single monster to guard against a direct attack. The only thing stopping my monsters is your Swords card, a weak and temporary shield.’ Even if he used it a lot, it was only effective when it was part of a long-term strategy. ‘Once my monsters are free, I’ll begin attacking your life points.’

The Rare Hunter growled. ‘Impossible! You’ll never break free from my trap before I summon Exodia and obliterate you and your monsters! It’s over, Yugi!’

***

‘You’ve left yourself wide open for a direct attack, Hunter,’ the Pharaoh said calmly.

Joey watched the duel. ‘Yugi, take him down!’ He called him that, even though he knew this was a different person, because he’d thought about it. It drew too much attention and too many awkward questions if they varied between the names they called these guys. And, if any unfriendlies heard and understood it’d cause big problems.

Shamee stood just in front of him and behind the Pharaoh. It was strange. No matter how emotional the rest of them got in duels, she remained stoic-faced and calculating. She never freaked out and she never seemed to get scared or overexcited. It was like her emotions were in chains. The Pharaoh often did the same thing. But, they were five thousand years old.

Maybe it was just an ancient people thing.

***

‘There’s no way you can draw Exodia in time,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘You forget,’ the Rare Hunter insisted. ‘Your monsters are trapped in my Swords of Revealing Light. And it’s my turn.’ He drew.

‘I bet it’s a duplicate Exodia card.’

‘It makes no difference to me! Your Light Force Sword will soon disappear, allowing me to access all five pieces of Exodia for an automatic win!’

‘But not soon enough.’

‘Hm?’ The Rare Hunter looked down at his hand for a long moment. He took a card from his hand and played it. ‘I summon Exodia’s Head in defence mode! Now, you can’t strike my life points.’

The Pharaoh smirked. ‘That’s exactly what I wanted you to do, Rare Hunter. Now it’s time for me to destroy Exodia.’

‘What?’ The Rare Hunter looked shocked and afraid.

‘You activated my trap card! A costly mistake!’ The card flipped. ‘Chain Destruction!’ The image glowed bright and a chain shot out of it. The chain crossed the field and then into the Exodia head, continuing through into the Rare Hunter’s deck.

‘Ahh! It struck my deck!’

‘While it can’t destroy your Exodia Head on the field, it can destroy the ones in your hand and your deck.’

‘Hm?’ The Rare Hunter looked down. ‘Oh, no! My Exodia Heads!’

‘Are gone,’ the Pharaoh said.

Smoke rose up from the cards. The Rare Hunter cried out and staggered.

The Pharaoh rested his hand on his belt. ‘All of your Exodia Heads have been eliminated from your hand and your deck. And with no Heads left to play, you can no longer draw all five pieces into your hand to summon Exodia.’ His lips quirked upwards. ‘And I’m not through, Rare Hunter. I also found a way around your Swords of Revealing Light. Activate Dust Tornado!’ The other down card flipped up and activated. ‘This trap destroys one magic card, shattering your Swords of Revealing Light which allows my monsters to attack.’ As he said this, it happened. ‘Next, I’ll play Monster Reborn, revive Kimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!’ The monster reappeared on the field and roared. ‘Kimera, destroy the final Exodia Head!’

Kimera pounced forward and shattered the Head. The Rare Hunter cried out in shock and horror.

‘Now your life points are defenceless against my attack.’ The Pharaoh pointed and gave the command. ‘I play Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Summoned Skull. Summoned Skull’s electricity raises Alpha the Magnet Warrior’s attack power by two hundred points. As he said this, the Skull sent the electricity to Alpha and the latter’s attack power rose up to 4100. ‘Now, my monsters, attack the Rare Hunter’s life points!’ Alpha charged with a glowing sword and struck the Rare Hunter down, not physically harming him – despite the fall he took – but bringing his life points down to 0.

‘Yeah, Yug!’ Joey called over the crowd’s cheering. ‘You won!’

The holograms disappeared and the projectors returned to the duel disks.

***

‘I can’t believe it!’ Mokuba insisted. ‘Yugi defeated Exodia.’

Kaiba smirked. He couldn’t believe it either. ‘He may have beaten Exodia, but there’s one card Yugi will never beat. And I’m the one holding it.’ He turned and walked towards the door. ‘I’m heading to Battle City.’

Mokuba quickly followed. ‘Hey, wait up. I’m commissioner, remember? I gotta go and make sure no one else is cheating!’ He stopped for a second. ‘Oh, if you detect a duellist using an Egyptian God Card let us know right away.’

‘Yes, sir.’

***

Shamee walked over, slower than Joey, as the Pharaoh headed over and picked up the Rare Hunter’s deck. She’d head something about the Rare Hunters and fake cards. Looked like it was true.

‘Way to go, m’man!’ Joey said.

‘Thanks, Joey.’ The Pharaoh flicked through the cards until he found what he was looking for. ‘Ah, there it is.’ He pulled the card from the deck and looked down at the Rare Hunter. ‘I’m taking Joey’s Red Eyes Black Dragon and your Locator Card. You won’t need to find the finals now.’ He flicked through the rest of the cards.

‘What’s wrong?’ Joey asked.

‘Something’s rubbing off on my fingers,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘Really?’ Shamee took one of the cards from him and sniffed it. There was some chemical on it. Pulling a face, she walked over to the Rare Hunter and leaned over. She had a feeling he was wearing contacts, and she was right. She pulled a contact lens from his eye. ‘Hm.’ Holding the card up so the back was facing her, she raised the lens and peered through it. ‘Aha!’

‘What?’ Joey asked. ‘It’s just a contact lens.’

‘It ain’t an ordinary contact lens, Joey,’ Shamee said. ‘It’s an x-ray lens. Coupled with invisibility ink, which is what’s on all these cards, this lens allows the player to see what cards they have even when they’re still in the deck.’

Joey scowled and clenched his fists. ‘That’s cheating!’

The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed. ‘Yes, it is. So all these cards are marked.’ That said, he tore the cards up and tossed them to the air.

The Rare Hunter suddenly seemed to come to consciousness. ‘I lost…I failed!’

‘Hng?’ Joey looked down in confusion.

‘Forgive me, master! I tried my best!’

Shamee’s extra sense picked up the change in his heart. ‘Marik’s initiating contact.’ She stepped back to her place at the Pharaoh’s side.

‘No! Please don’t be angry!’ The Rare Hunter seemed to be yanked to his feet by an external force. He grabbed his head and screamed. ‘No, master! Don’t, please! Spare me!’

Joey drew back. ‘Yugi, that whacko’s lost his mind!’

‘Actually, he’s still in the process of losing it,’ Shamee said.

‘We’ve seen this before,’ the Pharaoh said as the Millennium insignia appeared on the Hunter’s forehead.

Marik spoke through his Rare Hunter, causing the man’s body to become lank. The eyes had gone completely white. ‘Remember me, Pharaoh? Actually, perhaps you don’t. You were trapped in the Puzzle when I duelled little Yugi.’

The Pharaoh growled.

‘Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter, though he was the weakest duellist in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable.’

Joey leaned over. ‘Yug, what is with this freak show?’

Shamee answered. ‘Marik has the Millennium Rod. He uses it to control people’s minds.’

Marik went on like she hadn’t even spoken. ‘Pharaoh, I’ve waited for you for years. Finally, after all this time I will destroy you. I will not allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for this kind of foolishness so I have taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm. I am in control.’ And he proved it by making the Rare Hunter spasm wildly.

‘Yegh!’ Joey drew back. ‘This guy’s creeping me out!’

‘Mind control with the Millennium Rod,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘No good can come from that power.’

‘Sharee Pertinicle has already introduced me to you,’ Marik said.

The Pharaoh stepped forward. ‘What is it you want from me, Marik?’

‘I want what belongs to me,’ Marik answered. ‘And I’ll take it using the strength of the Egyptian God Cards.’

‘The what?’ Joey asked.

‘Three ultimate monster cards based on the Gods that the Pharaoh used when we were alive,’ Shamee said.

The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed. ‘So you want my Puzzle.’

‘You misunderstand me. I want more than the power of the Puzzle. I want the Pharaoh’s power. The boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself.’

Shamee scowled. _**Know any psychiatrists?**_

_He certainly needs one._

Marik went on. ‘With it, no one will stand on my way! I’ll use the almighty magic I made to conquer and lead the world. I will be unstoppable. The end is near, Pharaoh. It’s my world now!’

‘Not yet, Marik.’ He pointed at the closest thing he could get to “him”. ‘I’m beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City. It’s my destiny to stand between you and the evil powers you seek. And I will.’ At the moment, it was too complicated to mention, around his friends, that Ishizu and Marik were actually brother and sister.

‘Then your destiny is easier said than done, you fool! Pharaoh, your days are numbered, so enjoy the game while you still can because your reign is coming to an end!’ The Rare Hunter’s body slumped to the ground.

‘Man, that was weird,’ Joey said. ‘I knew that guy was a big creep, but who knew he was just a front for an even bigger creep?’

The Pharaoh held out the Red Eyes Black Dragon to Joey. ‘Here you go, Joey. Take your Red Eyes back.’

Joey looked at it for a moment before he surprised them. ‘Nah, Yug. You hold onto it. It isn’t mine to take, pal. You won it, fair and square.’ He put his hands in his pockets. ‘Besides, the Rare Hunters have collected tons of rare cards. Their decks are totally souped-up so I know that they’re gonna be tough to beat, even for you.’

‘Huh?’ Shamee asked.

The Pharaoh lowered the card. ‘What are you saying, Joey?’

‘I’m saying one day you’ll need all the powerful monsters you can get, plus you can think of me whenever you play my Red Eyes. It’s the least I can do to repay you. See, during the Duellist Kingdom Tournament, you taught me rules, killer strategies and everything else that I needed to know to help me get to the finals. I couldn’t have done it without your help.’

The Pharaoh still wasn’t sure where he was going with this. ‘That’s what friends do.’

Joey looked at him. ‘That’s my point exactly, buddy. You’ve always had my back so it’s time I helped you for a change. That’s why I want you to keep my Red Eyes Black Dragon. I know it’s gonna come in handy for you sometime. Besides, this means that a part of me will be a part of your deck.’ He looked down. ‘It’s kinda cool knowing that I’m helping you save the world.’ And back up at him. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I’m still in the contest, and I still have the Rare Card requirement covered.’ He smiled. ‘Well, actually…I guess technically you have it covered, Yugi.’

‘Hm?’

‘See Red Eyes Black Dragon wasn’t the only Rare Card I have in my deck.’ Joey pulled out the aforementioned deck and flicked through it until he came to the card in question. You gave me another rare card way back when I first started playing Duel Monsters, remember?’ He pulled it out.

The Pharaoh quirked his lips upwards. ‘The Time Wizard.’

‘Yup,’ Joey said. ‘It bailed me outta jams at Duellist Kingdom. And I know it’s gonna save my butt in Battle City.’ He tucked his deck away. ‘You know, when you think about it, Yug, both of our hearts are in our decks. We’re a team. Together, we won’t let any duellist beat us!’ He looked at him. ‘It’s true. We’ll whoop this Marik creep and his Rare Hunter Corn Squad so hard they won’t know what hit them. They’ll be sorry they ever decided to mess with us.’

‘Hm.’ The Pharaoh’s lips quirked upwards again. ‘Thanks, Joey. I’ll take good care of your Red Eyes Black Dragon.’

‘Don’t sweat it,’ Joey told him. ‘It’s yours.’ He offered his hand. The Pharaoh looked satisfied as he reached across and took it. Shamee watched the male bonding as the two of them shook hands.

‘You are a true friend, Joey,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘And together we can take on any evil that comes our way.

Joey nodded. When he turned away, he immediately pumped his fist in the air. ‘Yeah, all right! Which of you duellists wants a piece? Just step up so Joey can knock you down!’

The Pharaoh and Shamee both smiled indulgently and turned away. Shamee fell into step with him and they walked. She knew she should tell the Pharaoh, but she did not understand what it was she felt. Until then, she did not feel secure in telling him what it was she had noticed about the holder of the Millennium Rod.

When Shamee thought of Marik Ishtar, she felt pity.


	9. Espa Roba, the ESP Duellist Part I

The Pharaoh and Shamee were in a back alley, where very few people would bother them and even fewer would bother listening to what they were saying. The Pharaoh leaned against the alley wall while Shamee sat on one of the steps that led up to the back entrance of some establishment.

‘From what I understand, the Ishtars were sworn to keep your tomb and guard your secrets,’ Shamee said. ‘All of the males were supposed to stay underground from birth to death, to ensure they didn’t get lured away from the cause by something in the outside world.’

‘I see.’ The Pharaoh frowned. ‘And who came up with this practice?’

‘I have no idea,’ Shamee said. ‘However, there is one thing…’

‘Yes?’

‘They were always just outside Thinis,’ Shamee explained. ‘While my time guarding your actual physical tomb is foggy in my mind, I do recall a feeling of agitation…anger even during the early days.’ She stood up. ‘That could be anywhere in the first few hundred years. If I’d had the ability to leave your tomb and box someone upside the head, I would’ve. Now, I suspect that feeling had something to do with the Ishtars.’

‘Hm.’ The Pharaoh scowled. ‘You believe there is more to it than merely isolation?’

‘Much more.’

Before the conversation could go on much further, though, some kids ran past.

‘Did you hear?’ one of them asked. ‘Joey Wheeler’s duelling some dude with ESP!’

‘This I gotta see!’ a second kid insisted.

‘Come on!’

‘That makes two of us,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘Make it three.’ Shamee headed after the kids.

***

Sharee knew why Shamee had handed the reins back to her. This kid was claiming to have extrasensory perception. Sharee was more used to dealing with fakes and frauds. And she was certain that was exactly what this ESP guy was. As she walked towards the duel, she sent a message to her sister. She wanted to know what this “psychic” guy’s name was.

Sharee was only just coming to the duel when she heard a return message, Flicking out her cell phone, she read the answer. Espa Roba. As she was coming up behind him, she heard Espa making a prediction. Well, actually, he had his fingers pressed to his head and was humming loudly. For someone who didn’t know better, it looked very convincing. But, as someone who’d met actual psychics before… _He might as well be wearing a “fake psychic” t-shirt._ And the speech just dug it in.

‘Celestial forces, I call upon you! Make me one with the psychic universe! Show Joey’s thoughts to me! And every card in his pathetic hand!’ Then he started laughing. ‘The extrasensory forces of the universe flow through me. Your strategies are helpless against my all-knowing power!’

‘Okay!’ Sharee called out. ‘Once more, with credibility.’

‘Sharee.’ Joey grinned when he saw her.

Espa Roba glared at her. That was when she noticed two things. The first was an itch at the back of her neck. It was the kind of feeling Sharee got when she was being watched. The second was what confirmed to her that this guy was as fake as wax fruit.

‘Oh, really?’ Espa asked. ‘Then how come I know he’s toast?’

‘Oh, yeah, well, how’s this.’ Joey played the card. ‘Go, Giltia the Dark Knight.’

‘Uh-uh.’ Espa held his hand up. ‘You’ll have to think of a different move.’

‘Against the rules,’ Sharee said.

***

Joey watched Roba.

‘Now, I’ll summon Cyber Raider!’ The “psychic” played the card and his monster appeared on the field. ‘And since you have no monsters on the field, I can directly attack your life points!’ The Raider attacked.

When the blast hit, Joey was mildly surprised that it hurt. But that was very Kaiba. He landed on his butt and leaned up. ‘This isn’t my day so far. I can’t lose to this misfit.’

‘What’s the matter, Wheeler?’ Espa mocked him. ‘Cyber Raider got you down. Or, you ready for more?’

Joey got to his feet.

Sharee huffed. ‘Roba, if you’re going to pretend to be a psychic at least make it believable.’

Roba looked at her. ‘You need a demonstration of my power?’

Sharee shook her head. ‘Real psychics don’t advertise it.’

Roba laughed. ‘Please!’ He looked at Joey. ‘I predict that you’re finished!’

‘You wish, Roba,’ Joey said.

***

The Pharaoh stood on the rooftop. He looked down at the duel. This Espa Roba was certainly getting a hell of a lot over on Joey, but something told him that something about this duel wasn’t right.

_Hang in there, Joey. I know you can beat this guy, on your own. I have a feeling this so-called Psychic Duellist isn’t all he claims to be._

‘Let’s tell Espa what else this guy’s got.’

The Pharaoh turned his head as he heard that. Below him there were three boys, one of which had a baby strapped to his back. They had binoculars, turned towards Joey’s cards, and an earpiece.

The Pharaoh listened as they reported to the so-called ESP duellist the cards in Joey’s hand. ‘I’m pretty sure that I see Graceful Dice under his Swordsman.’

‘Okay, big brother, Graceful Dice is under his Swordsman.’

‘It looks like he is a fake,’ the Pharaoh said.

***

‘I predict you’re ready to quit!’ Roba crowed.

‘Yeah? Well, guess again, Roba. This duel’s not over.’ Joey drew. ‘And I know you’re up to something.’ He looked at the card in his hand. Graceful Dice.

Roba lifted his hands to his head. ‘Tapping in.’ He made that humming sound again.

Joey growled. ‘Not this again!’

Roba lowered his hands and looked at Joey. ‘You just drew yet another Graceful Dice card, am I right, Wheeler?’

Joey drew back. ‘Huh?’ Yes…and no.

Behind him, Sharee clicked her tongue.

***

The Pharaoh watched the boys chuckling amongst themselves. _This little scheme may have gotten them this far in the tournament but I know Joey will defeat these cheats._ Besides, there was one little detail about those Charity cards in his hand that the Roba boys were obviously unaware of.

***

Espa Roba was gloating. ‘Don’t feel bad. No one expects you to keep up with my unique telepathic duelling powers.’

‘If you had any,’ Sharee muttered.

Roba didn’t hear her. ‘I foresee that your Battle City days are over! And that your rarest card will be sitting in my deck soon. It’s all in the stars, Wheeler!’ He smirked.

Joey’s eyes narrowed. _Old Blue-Hair’s definitely up to something. But Sharee’s right. He looked at his cards. He said he knew I picked up a second Graceful Dice card from the deck, and he was almost right, but not quite. I think it’s time for me to play some mind games of my own with this cheat._ He looked up and grabbed three cards. ‘It’s my turn! He threw his cards down. ‘I summon Swordsman of Lanstar.’ The card appeared in attack mode and the monster emerged from the field. ‘And now, I’ll place two cards face-down and end my turn.’ The cards appeared in front of him.

Roba smirked. ‘Let me guess. You’ll play both of your Graceful Dice cards as soon as my Cyber Raider attacks, and multiply your Swordsman of Lanstar’s attack points. Am I warm?’

Joey quirked a smirk. ‘You’re burning up.’ He scowled. _But you’ll be even more steamed when I prove what a fraud you really are._

Roba lifted his hand to his chin. ‘It’s a great plan except that it won’t work. The new rules say you can only play one Graceful Dice card at a time.’

Joey’s eyes narrowed.

‘That’s right, Wheeler. Looks like my power psyched you out again.’ He lowered his hand. ‘It’s my move.’ He drew and laid his card. ‘I’ll sacrifice Cyber Raider and summon the Fiend Mega Cyber.’ The card appeared below the Cyber Raider and he disappeared. The new, stronger, monster rose up in his place.

‘I’m ready for you,’ Joey said. ‘Reveal magic card, Graceful Dice!’ The card flipped up. The die emerged, carried by a little puppet man. The puppet rolled the die. Joey watched anxiously. _His Fiend Mega Cyber’s attack strength is 2200, more than four times the strength of my monsters. But if the die comes a five or higher, I’ll win!_

The die came to a stop, but it only landed on a three. He growled even as his Swordsman was powered up. Annoying, but not so bad. He had a second chance at this. Though, Roba wasn’t aware of that and he immediately gloated.

‘Aw! Only a three? That makes your monster’s attack points a measly 1500 points, which means my monster won’t even break a sweat! Fiend Mega Cyber, bring him down!’ The monster roared and went to attack.

‘Hey, slow down, Roba,’ Joey said. ‘You forget my other face-down card?’

‘What did I just get through telling you, Wheeler?’ Roba demanded. ‘You can only use one Graceful Dice card per turn!’

‘Who said it was a Graceful Dice?’ Joey used the same type of question he’d once heard Yugi use.

‘Huh?’

The card flipped up.

‘A Skull Dice trap card?’ Roba drew back, shocked. ‘Is this some kinda trick?’

The card glowed and released a second sprite with a die.

‘Don’t cheat me!’

The sprite let the die roll. Joey just explained it. ‘Skull Dice reduces your monster’s attack strength depending on the roll of the die. The higher the number, the more your monster’s points are reduced.’   
The die landed on a five.

‘No!’ Roba cried. His monster’s attack dropped to 440.

‘And now that your monster’s basically a wimp…Swordsman, attack!’ Joey commanded. His monster slashed across the Fiend and destroyed it. Roba screamed as his life points dropped down to 2940. He dropped to his knees.

‘Looks like your psychic friends dropped the ball,’ Joey said.

‘Well, that’s true,’ Sharee said. ‘Real psychics don’t make a show out of their powers. Point of fact, the most you can tell when they’re having a vision is when they close their eyes or they go all glassy-eyed and vacant. No humming, no chanting.’

Joey smirked. Trust her to know actual psychics. ‘Yeah, I only had one Graceful Dice card.’

Roba pushed himself up and growled.

Joey pointed at him accusingly. ‘You’ve been getting some bum information and now I know why. Because of how I held my cards, you knew I had two Dice cards but you couldn’t tell which ones.’ He planted his hands on his hips and glared at him. ‘Which means your ESP game was just a card. You couldn’t see my cards at all. But I’ll bet you got friends in high places that can, you snake in the grass.’

Roba went blue in the face.

‘You cheat!’ Rex yelled.

***

‘Uh oh.’

‘Busted.’

Yes, and the Pharaoh and Yugi were both very satisfied on that front. ‘Nice work, Joey. Now you’re in control.’ His attention was suddenly drawn, however, by a loud whistle from down where those Roba boys were. He looked down and saw Mokuba Kaiba running at them.

‘Violation!’ he yelled. Clearly Kaiba had put his younger brother in control of enforcing the rules in the tournament.

‘Run!’ One of the Roba boys immediately took off.

Mokuba shot past the other three and snatched the binoculars off of the boy holding them. ‘Freeze!’ The one who’d run tried to duck under a billboard but Mokuba was quick and a Kaiba. He slid down, grabbing his foot as he did so. ‘Gotcha!’ The Roba boy tripped and landed on his face. He’d be all right but his nose would throb for a while.

Mokuba shifted so he was sitting more comfortably and smirked. He rubbed his finger under his nose. ‘Your brother will never duel in this town again.’

Another one of the brothers, the one with the baby, moved to one of the girders supporting the billboard. ‘We’ve learned our lesson. Please, you gotta give him another chance!’

Mokuba planted his fists on his hips. ‘As the Battle City Tournament Commissioner, it’s my sworn duty to bust cheaters.’ He folded his arms. ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cancel this duel.’

_**Thought so.**_ It was nice to see he took it seriously.

‘You just can’t!’ the boy insisted.

The brother, who likely had a sore nose, moved up onto his hands and knees and begged him. ‘Show some mercy, Commish. Our brother isn’t doing this for the duelling glory. He’s doing it for us.’

‘Huh?’ Mokuba asked.

The one with the baby explained. ‘We’re carnival folk, or at least we used to be. Since we left the show, he’s kept the bullies off our backs.’

Well, that explained why they were cheating but that wasn’t fair. There were other ways to go about dealing with bullies. All the same, the Pharaoh knew that would strike a cord with Mokuba.

And so it did. ‘Your big brother protects you from bullies?’

The boy went on. ‘See, everyday after school the big kids would gang up on us.’

‘But even bullies respect a good duellist like our brother. As long as he wins, they leave us alone. We’re just trying to make sure he does.’

But it was a false respect. The Pharaoh knew Sharee earned respect in a variety of ways, depending on who it was: by being rich and not flashing her dollars at everyone, by being loyal to her friends, by knowing when it was a good time to do what. Besides, Yugi faced many of the same problems, due to the fact that he was smaller than most boys his age, and he never felt the need to do anything like that.

At that point, Mokuba saw him. ‘It’s Yugi!’ And he knew he’d seen everything. The look on the younger Kaiba’s face showed his internal conflict. On one hand, he sympathised with the boys and on the other he knew it was unfair to all the other duellists in the tournament, including Joey. He shook his head. ‘It’s still cheating! If I let you guys off the hook, what’s to stop you from pulling this stunt again?’

‘I’m begging!’ the boy nearest him said. ‘Let my brother duel or we’re toast after school!’

Mokuba tensed.

The boy with the lollipop spoke. ‘Just give him a chance to go legit. Espa maybe a bogus psychic but he’s a great duellist.’ He laughed lightly.

Mokuba looked up at him again. The Pharaoh mused, as he watched them out of the corner of his eye, that everyone – barring Seto Kaiba – seemed to turn to him. And, more often, when he was in control of Yugi’s body. He turned his eyes back to the duel as he heard the brothers speak again.

‘What d’you say?’

‘Come on. Have a heart!’

Mokuba was silent for a moment and then he sighed. ‘This is your last chance. If he cheats again, then it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy.’

‘Thanks, Commish.’

Well, it wasn’t what the Pharaoh would have done…but it was what Yugi would have.

***

Téa was worried.

‘I haven’t seen Yugi all day. I hope that everything’s all right. Ishizu said he had to enter this tournament to save the world from an ancient evil. But who knows when that evil will show up?’ She stood up. ‘All I know for sure is that when it does, we’ll all be there to stand by him, not just Sharee.’

_‘…everyone died last time.’_

‘No matter what the cost is.’

***

Roba was on his feet. ‘Ha! Are you accusing me of faking all my psychic abilities?’

‘Yes,’ Sharee said.

‘Too bad! Cause I’m getting a telepathic vision right now that’s just guaranteed to come true!’

‘You know you’re a fraud.’ Joey was really getting sick of this.

‘We’ll see who’s a fraud when I win!’ Roba insisted self-confidently, pointing to himself. And then he pointed at Joey. ‘And when you…you lose in disgrace.’

Joey gave him a bland look. ‘Dream on, pal.’

Roba lowered his arm. ‘I don’t need to dream. Even without my psychic abilities, I’ve never lost a duel. And I can tell that’s not gonna change anytime in the near future.’

The people around them were fooled but Sharee scoffed.

Joey closed his eyes. ‘Espa, I don’t have psychic powers.’ He opened his eyes. ‘But I do have a belief in myself that a chump like you would never understand.’

‘Very poetic, but you’ll need more than a belief to stop me from blasting you right out of the tournament!’

‘I’m tired of yapping about the future. Let’s finish this duel here and now!’

Roba closed his eyes. ‘I predict a nasty end for you, Wheeler!’ He opened his eyes. ‘Rumour has it, without Yugi to help you, you couldn’t duel your way out of a paper bag!’

‘Idle gossip!’ Sharee called.

Roba’s eyes narrowed and he ignored her. ‘Prepare to taste the psychic power of my duelling deck, you amateur!’

‘Bring it on, psycho-boy!’ Joey retorted.

Roba growled and drew. ‘It’s psychic!’ He laid a card. ‘I’ll place one card face-down on the field and end my turn.’ The card appeared.

***

Sharee watched the duel continue. At least Roba had stopped with the over-dramatic falsetto psychic visions. Mind, the dead giveaway was the fact that he was advertising it. Real psychics never advertised their power. It was too much trouble. She grinned when she saw Joey’s two monsters attack Espa’s life points directly and bring them down to 1440. One more move and Joey would win the entire duel. But she wasn’t entirely happy to see him finally flip up his face-down card.

It was a Mind Control card.

‘Eh,’ Joey said. ‘This can’t be good.’ The Swordsman of Lanstar slowed to a stop and turned around.

‘Ha!’ Espa crowed. ‘Once a monster falls into my mind trap it instantly becomes my brainwashed servant.’

Sharee was confused though. She twisted her lips to the side. _That’s the weaker of the two. Why didn’t Espa use it on the Alligator Sword?_

_**Because he wants to use it as a tribute to summon an even stronger monster.** _

_Oh…right. Duh._

Joey drew and smirked at the card he’d drawn. ‘I place one card face-down and end my turn.’

‘It’s showtime!’ Espa drew. ‘I’ll sacrifice your Swordsman of Lanstar and I’ll Jinzo!’ He played the card.

_Uh oh._

‘The end is near, Wheeler!’ The Swordsman vanished into the card that had appeared beneath it. Another, much more powerful monster rose up out of the card. It was tall and had a bald head.  
Joey was smirking so Sharee guessed the face-down card he’d placed was a trap. But, unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one.

Espa scoffed. ‘You better hope your face-down card isn’t a trap cause, if it is, my next move may disappoint you. Show your stuff, Jinzo!’ The monster’s eyes glowed brightly and then a bright beam of light shot out of the mouthpiece of his mask. It soared right through Joey’s down card, destroying it.

Joey drew back. ‘Ah, my trap!’

‘With Jinzo on the field, all your trap cards are useless!’ Roba crowed. ‘I foresee the finish, with no defences Jinzo will defeat you in no time at all and you’ll be out of the tournament for good, Wheeler!’

Joey ground his teeth. ‘I can’t let him win!’


	10. Espa Roba, the ESP Duellist Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey uses his absurd good luck in an extremely constructive way.

‘I can read your mind and I can see you’re losing hope, Wheeler!’

Joey ground his teeth. _As long as Espa Roba has Jinzo on the field, I can’t play my trap cards. That means my Alligator Sword will be easy pickings for this psycho fraud. Then I’ll have to kiss my life points and the Battle City Tournament goodbye._

Roba chuckled. ‘It’s time to end this duel.’ He pulled a card from his hand. ‘So I’ll play this. The magic card Amplifier!’ He laid it and a helmet appeared on his monster’s head. ‘And now I’ll hardwire it to Jinzo which will immediately boost his attack power by 500 points.’ Jinzo’s attack went up to 2900. ‘Plus with every new turn Amplifier will crank up Jinzo’s power by 300 more points!’

‘Oh, no!’ Joey cried.

‘And now, my metal monster, send his Alligator Sword back to the swamp!’ With a roar, Jinzo sent a black electric energy ball at the Alligator Sword and it was destroyed.

The light of the attack forced Joey to cover his eyes. His life points dropped down to 1200.

‘I foresee the end for you!’

‘If you think I’m giving up just cause of baldy and his tin can hat, you definitely got another think coming, you blue-haired freak!’

***

The Pharaoh looked over as the Roba boys cheered.

‘Even without us helping him, Espa’s winning!’ one of them said. ‘And he’s still faking the ESP just to psyche that guy out!’

It was a very good thing that they were no longer cheating. Perhaps there was some merit in this kind of mercy, after all.

_Ah. Espa Roba’s a strong duellist but I know Joey can beat him._

And Yugi was absolutely right.

***

Joey had an idea. ‘Right. This duel isn’t over yet.’

‘Ha!’ Roba scoffed. ‘But I predict that it will be just as soon as I make my next move. Why not just give me your locator card now?’

Joey’s hand clenched into a fist. ‘Fat chance, Roba. You and your psychic fraud network are about to go down. Check this out.’ _All right. Come on, baby. Deck, don’t fail me now._ He drew. _Yes! My old friend, Baby Dragon._ He grinned. _Joey’s back in business._

Roba laughed. ‘Give it up, Wheeler. My Jinzo already has 2900 attack points and my cosmic forces tell me he’s already stronger than any card in your deck! Plus Jinzo’s only going to get more powerful.’

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ Joey played the card. ‘As I summon Baby Dragon.’ The card appeared on the field and, with a giggle, the Dragon emerged from it.’

‘I know what you’re up to!’ Rex called from the sidelines.

But Roba evidentially didn’t. He laughed. ‘I don’t know whether I should attack your monster or give it a baby bottle. But if that’s the best that you’ve got to face Jinzo, then you’re finished!’

‘It maybe just a baby now, but it’s possible that my Dragon’s about to grow up.’ Joey pulled another card from his hand and turned it around. ‘Cause I summon Time Wizard!’

Now Roba started to worry. ‘Time Wizard?’ He demanded, before masking it. ‘I see. You’re gonna try to age that Baby Dragon into an older dragon.’

‘Maybe,’ Joey said.

‘Well, my telepathic powers are telling me that still won’t be enough.’

‘I don’t think that’s telepathic powers, doofus,’ Sharee said.

Joey looked back at her. ‘Huh?’

‘I can’t be sure.’ Sharee rubbed her chin. ‘I just got the feeling that there’s something about Jinzo that I’m not quite remembering.’

Joey noted that, but he really doubted it would affect the outcome much. It’s gonna be a risk anyway. ‘Okay, let’s find out if luck is on my side!’ The Time Wizard appeared on the field and spun into the air. The spinner arrow immediately moved, rotating very swiftly. ‘Come on, not a skull!’ _That’ll destroy my life points._

The spinner slowed and settled on a time machine. ‘All right! It’s Time Warp time!’ The Time Wizard leapt into the air and there was a bright light over the field. ‘Baby Dragon age a thousand years to re-emerge as Thousand Dragon!’ The larger Dragon appeared on the field and roared.

‘Uh…Joey?’ Sharee was leaned over slightly.

But Joey was on a roll. ‘And here’s the plan you missed! Your metal monster rusting into a heap of scrap!’

‘Joey?’ Sharee tried again.

Joey wasn’t listening, and soon he’d regret it.

***

The Pharaoh stood on the building top. He was perfectly aware of the fact that Joey wouldn’t be able to see through his Thousand Dragon to the unharmed Jinzo. Sharee was leaning over and trying to get his attention but he was far too excited. He’d never actually seen the Time Warp fail on anything other than his and Yugi’s Dark Magician, so it had likely not occurred to him that there was a reason Roba was confident.

Jinzo had special armour that took ten thousand years to rust, not just one.

***

Téa jumped and jerked her head back when hands suddenly covered her eyes. She felt someone’s nose collide with the back of her head and jumped up. She was surprised, and a little guilty, to note that it was only Mr. Moto.

‘Hey, you scared me!’

‘I scared you? That noggin of yours almost broke my schnozz.’

Téa smiled. ‘Well, don’t sneak up on me.’ He phone suddenly started ringing. ‘Huh?’ She pulled it out of her handbag and answered it. ‘This is Téa.’ A pause. ‘Hey-ya, Tristan.’

_‘Are you watching Joey’s duel right now?’_ Tristan asked.

‘No, I’m not.’ Téa had no idea he was even in a duel. ‘What’s going on?’

_‘Find him,’_ Tristan said. _‘You gotta give him this message.’_

***

Sharee ground her teeth. Joey was down to only 700 life points and Roba was crowing like a bitch. But, even if Roba won, Sharee had still seen what he had tucked under his hair.

‘Your Battle City days are over, Wheeler! Your Dragon is destroyed and, according to the celestial forces that tell me all, you have nothing in your hand that can defeat Jinzo! Your future looks dim!’

And that “celestial forces” rubbish was really getting on her nerves.

‘As long as I have my deck, I have hope,’ Joey said. ‘And it won’t let me down here.’ He laid a card. ‘Activate the magic card Scapegoat!’ The card appeared on the field and four coloured goats emerged.  
Roba laughed. ‘That’s your best move? Those hairballs can’t save your life points! Jinzo will take them out one by one. Then he’ll destroy you. Why don’t you make it easier on yourself, Wheeler, and just hand me your Locator Card?’

Well, it would keep his life points safe for now.

‘Oh, you could just continue to embarrass yourself by playing lame cards!’ Roba crowed, making the people around them laugh.

That was when Sharee started to suspect. She folded her arms across her chest. ‘Roba, I just got a suspicion and, if I’m right, you’re the biggest coward I ever met.’

Roba stopped laughing and drew back. Of course, everyone else stopped laughing too. That was exactly the effect Sharee had been hoping for. Nothing shut people like that up faster than making them look like idiots.

Rex, though, wasn’t convinced. ‘The little creep’s right, Wheeler! This duel’s as good as over. I mean, come on, even _I_ couldn’t defeat his Jinzo!’

‘Your point being?’ Sharee asked. ‘You couldn’t defeat him either.’

‘It’s your move, Roba,’ Joey said.

‘I warned you,’ Rex grumbled.

***

Joey knew Sharee was right. ‘All right, tough guy, let’s see what you got.’

‘You’re just prolonging your defeat, Wheeler. But, if that’s what you want, who am I to stop you?’

Joey ground his teeth.

‘It’s my move.’ Roba drew and played the card. ‘I summon Reflect Bounder to the field.’ The card appeared and the monster emerged.

Joey tensed as his Scapegoats gathered around him, protecting him.

‘My new monster is practically attack-proof!’ Roba crowed. ‘It can reflect any of your monsters’ attacks right back at you. So even if you did manage to summon a decent monster, all of your attacks will be completely useless!’

Joey’s eyes narrowed. ‘Bring it on.’

‘And don’t forget, with every turn Amplifier increases Jinzo’s attack by another three hundred points!’ It looked extremely painful for the monster even as his attack rose to 3200. But Roba laughed triumphantly. ‘Now I’ve got two undefeatable monsters on the field. And you, you don’t have a chance, Wheeler!’ He paused before giving the order. ‘Now, Jinzo, attack his Scapegoat!’ Jinzo roared and sent one of his energy attacks flying at one of the four and that Scapegoat was destroyed. ‘Reflect Bounder, it’s your turn to attack!’ The Bounder shot its blast out of the central mirror and destroyed another.

Joey threw his arm up to protect his face from the light.

‘Your future’s looking more pathetic by the second! Two Scapegoats are down and, if my extrasensory perception is right, the other two will meet the same fate.’ He threw his head back and laughed. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you, Wheeler. Loosing like this must be painful but I’m afraid it’s going to get worse. By my next turn I’ll have three monsters on the field, and I predict your life points will be gone!’

Joey growled.

Roba chuckled. ‘What a pathetic way to end your Battle City experience! Ha! You couldn’t even make your way out of the first round.’

_I can’t lose like this,_ Joey thought. _But what else can I do?_

Roba continued his crowing. ‘Come on, Wheeler, face the facts! With those cards, your future careers as a duellist is…’ He turned his thumb down. ‘…bleak and getting bleaker.’

Joey felt doubt begin to seep in.

‘All right, I’ve had enough of you!’ Sharee suddenly snapped. That wasn’t something that happened everyday. She pointed at Roba. ‘A good duellist isn’t someone who always wins! It’s someone who can face defeat. It’s someone who’s not afraid to fail. It’s someone who can think outside the box. Most importantly, it’s someone who _never_ gives up! You keep yammering on about celestial forces which, by the way, don’t even exist. At the same time, you have no idea of the forces that exist within your very deck.’ She folded her arms again. ‘I’m not talking about the monsters, or the traps, or the magic cards. The forces I mean cannot be seen or touched, only felt.’

Joey realised what she meant. _The Heart of the Cards!_

Roba drew back, shocked. But before he could collect himself and retort, he was cut off.

‘Sharee’s right, Joey!’

Joey turned his head. ‘Téa?’ Téa and Gramps were standing on the edge of the crowd, near where Sharee stood. They’d obviously just arrived and just in time to hear that little speech of hers.

‘Tristan called from the hospital,’ Téa called to him. ‘He’s watching the duel on the internet right now with Serenity.’

‘Huh?’ Joey turned a bit more, surprised.

‘You sister wants you to know something, Joey,’ Téa said.

‘What is it? What did she say?’

Téa gave him the good two fingers up. ‘You two are a team – forever. And she believes in you, so don’t even think about giving up!’

Joey smiled. _There’s no way I’m quitting. Serenity would never give up on me. I’m not about to give up on myself._ He turned back to the duel. _I know you’re right here with me, sis. So I’m gonna win this duel with your help. This so-called psychic clown is about to go down!_

‘Enough stalling!’ Roba yelled. ‘Are you gonna quit or what, Wheeler?’

‘I don’t think so,’ Joey said.

Roba drew back, surprised. ‘Really? Suit yourself.’

‘That’s right, Joey!’ Gramps called. ‘You can still win this duel! You just have to believe in yourself and in the Heart of the Cards!’

Gramps and Sharee were both right. _I know I can do this. The odds are against me, but my friends are with me. I gotta have faith._ He looked down. _I know there’s a card in my deck that could help me, a card that could turn this thing around. Now, all I gotta do is draw it so I can finish Espa Roba._ ‘Roba, check this out.’ He drew. Yes! It was exactly the card he needed. He played it. ‘The magic card, Roulette Spider!’ The card appeared on the field and the Spider emerged. ‘Roulette Spider, attach to Jinzo.’ The Spider crossed the field and clamped onto Jinzo’s face.

‘Ah!’ Roba drew back. ‘What’s that?’ For a moment, Jinzo tried to get the Spider off of his face. As he did so, he staggered to the middle of the field. ‘Ah! What’s the point of all this?’

‘Playing Roulette Spider is one of the riskiest moves in Duel Monsters,’ Joey said. ‘It could destroy me or win the duel for me. You see, after I give up half of my life points…’ They dropped to 350. ‘…Roulette Spider blindfolds the strongest monster on the field and walks it to the centre. That’s where it gets interesting.’ A web was suddenly constructed around Jinzo. Each player and monster was alone facing one edge of the hexagon that was now on the ground.

Roba frowned. ‘What is that web for, Wheeler?’

Joey almost sniggered. ‘For a guy with ESP, you ask a lot of questions. That’s the spin table. My Spider will spin Jinzo round and round like a giant wheel. When you tell it to stop, it’ll automatically attack whichever target the arrow’s pointing to.’

‘Any target?’ Roba demanded.

‘Open your ears, psycho-boy,’ Joey said. ‘ _Any_ target. Could be me or you directly, or any of the monsters on the field. And since you been so good about piling up attack points for your monster friend there, whatever Jinzo points to will be destroyed instantly. Any predictions, Mr. ESP?’

‘But I…!’ Roba was looking suitably scared.

‘Ready?’ Joey gave the order. ‘Go, Roulette Spider! Spin now!’ The arrow on the spider lifted up and Jinzo began spinning, faster and faster. ‘Whatever it points to, it destroys.’ Joey was breaking a sweat.  
This was a big gamble, but it didn’t matter. ‘What’s the matter, fraud? You too scared to tell it to stop?’

From the look on his face, yes.

‘What you waiting for?’ Joey demanded.

But the more the monsters spun, the higher the tension grew. Finally, it was just too much for him. ‘Jinzo, stop!’ Jinzo began slowing and clicked around until he finally came to a stop. ‘Jinzo’s pointing to my Reflect Bounder! And, if it attacks, they’re both doomed.’ The Roulette Spider disappeared from Jinzo’s face, taking its web with it. Regardless, Jinzo powered up his attack. It fired, heading straight for the Bounder. Roba cried out in alarm. ‘Don’t reflect! You’ll send his attack right back!’ But it was too late. ‘No, you can’t! If Jinzo’s blast gets sent back by Reflect Bounder, they’re both gone!’

The blast had hit and was reflected. But, because of how superior Jinzo was over the Bounder, the reflected attack destroyed it even so. The blast slammed right back into Jinzo and he was destroyed as well with a pained roar. Roba cried out and covered his eyes against the force of his monsters being destroyed. When he looked up, there was nothing left but Joey and his remaining Scapegoats.

Joey smirked. ‘Too late, Roba. Both your monsters have been destroyed, and you’re history!’

‘Ah!’ Roba stumbled back. ‘No! I had it won! I…you couldn’t beat me!’

‘What do you think just happened?’ Joey asked. ‘Let me do the math for you, you psychic sneak. Jinzo started with 3200 attack points. Subtract Reflect Bounder’s 1700.’ He pointed at him. ‘And you lose 1500 life points!’

Roba’s life points dropped to 0.

‘You’re finished,’ Joey said. ‘And this duel is over!’

There was cheering all around him.

***

The Pharaoh looked down at the finished product of Joey’s duel. He’d taken a very big gamble, but sometimes you had to do that in Duel Monsters. And Joey had proven that he knew when he needed to take a long shot. It was also a good thing that Sharee had decided to watch from where Joey could see and hear her.

_Nice work._

The Pharaoh looked down to where Espa’s brothers were. They were talking amongst themselves on how close their brother had been. That was far better than helping him cheat just to escape petty bullies.

***

Sharee was a little sorry to see Espa take losing so badly, falling to his knees like that. ‘He beat me!’

One of the onlookers scoffed. ‘Check out the psychic duellist now.’

‘What happened to his ESP?’ another one asked. ‘He couldn’t predict he’d be a loser!’ He laughed.

Roba cringed. Sharee thought as much.

Joey walked over. ‘It was a tough duel. Now, fork over your Jinzo and your locator card.’

Roba looked up and narrowed his eyes. ‘No! I can’t!’ Then he was up on his knees. ‘Please don’t make me! You just don’t understand.’ He glanced behind him on both sides.

‘Those are the rules.’ Sharee came over and leaned on Joey’s shoulder. ‘Your Locator Card and your rarest card. If we don’t understand, why don’t you explain it to us?’

‘Yeah, what are you freaking out about?’ Joey asked. ‘Just stand up and face defeat. Everyone loses once in a while. Even Joey Wheeler blew a few duels in his day.’

‘But it’s not that simple!’ Espa insisted. ‘People count on me to win, Wheeler!’

‘Ah.’ Sharee chuckled to herself.

‘We all have our own reasons for duelling,’ Joey said.

Espa dropped to his hand and knees again. ‘Stop! You just don’t get it, do you?’

Sharee interrupted him. ‘You feel the need to win at all costs due to a responsibility to someone, probably younger siblings.’

Espa lifted his head and looked at her.

‘Let me guess: the lot of you always get picked on my bullies so you figure if you always win your duels, they’ll leave you alone because they’ll respect you.’

Espa gasped and then averted his eyes.

Sharee nodded and leaned over. ‘I understand your reasoning, but I don’t understand why you would. Bullies are simply sad, miserable losers who try to make themselves feel better about their lives by making someone else’s miserable. They don’t respect you. They don’t even respect themselves.’ That said, Sharee leaned down and reached for what she’d seen when she arrived. She drew a receiver from Espa’s ear. ‘And when you cheat, the only one you cheat is yourself.’

Espa glared at her. ‘Oh, and you would know?’

‘Yes, I would,’ Sharee said.

At that moment, a voice came out of the earpiece. ‘Come on, big bro, get up. You didn’t disappoint us. You fought an awesome duel and you did it without cheating.’ When the person spoke again, they weren’t coming through the receiver. ‘We’re proud of you, bro.’

Espa looked over and gasped. ‘But I lost!’

‘So?’ one of the brothers asked.

‘So you’re not worried about people thinking your big brother is a big loser?’ Espa asked them.

‘No, cause in our book you’re a winner.’ The kid had tears coming down his cheeks.

Espa stood up. ‘Well, come here! And give your bro a hug!’ The brothers all ran over.

‘Awww!’ the crowd chorused as the Roba brothers hugged.

‘Thank you, guys,’ Espa said to his brothers. ‘I guess I have a lot to learn.’ He looked ahead. ‘About winning.’

‘You duelled great.’

‘And the totally best part of it is you did it on your own.’

‘Yeah! Without using any of that phoney ESP stuff.’

Joey grinned at Sharee. ‘So I guess these guys are the cosmic forces he was talking to. Now all I need is his rare Jinzo card to finish this happy ending.’

***

The Pharaoh watched the scene below him with upturned lips. He was completely satisfied with the situation now. ‘Good work, Joey. I knew you’d find your strength.’ He turned and walked towards the door.

The Pharaoh now had his own next duel to find.

***

‘Here, my Jinzo and my Locator Card. You deserve them.’

‘Thanks.’ Joey took the cards from Espa and looked at them in his hand.

‘Look, I’m sorry about that cheating thing,’ Espa said.

‘Ah, no worries.’ Joey brushed it off.

Espa spread his arms. ‘You beat me fair and square. And next time we duel, I’m playing totally legit. No more cheating.’

‘I’ll hold you to that. Until then, smell you later, Roba brothers.’ He turned and started walking. Then he stopped. ‘You know, we’re a lot alike, Espa.’

‘Huh?’ Espa asked.

‘You’ve got your brothers, and I’ve got my sister and my pals. And we’re all there to support each other when we need it.’ He turned to face them again. ‘As long as we got that, nobody loses.’ He gave him a thumb’s up.

Espa smiled and nodded.

‘See you later,’ Joey said. He, Gramps, Sharee and Téa headed off.

‘Excellent duelling, Joey,’ Gramps told him.

‘Yeah!’ Téa grinned. ‘Way to go!’

‘Thanks.’ Joey smiled. _Well, my first duel of the tournament. And not a bad start if I do say so myself. There’ll be tough times ahead, but I know I’m not in this alone._


	11. The Master of Magicians Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi is challenged to a _private_ duel.

**Computer Lab, Pertinicle Main Manor House, USA**  
Shauna Pertinicle looked at the readings on the screen as she sipped on an iced latte. The God Card Obelisk the Tormentor had appeared on the field. Just as Sharee had told her, Seto Kaiba had it. Poor idiot probably thought that he’d get all the God Cards but, if the ancient inscriptions were to be believed, they were the servants of the Pharaoh and only him. Once they were returned into his hands, they would obey no one else.

That’d be a nasty shock.

**Battle City, Domino City, Japan**  
The Pharaoh was standing in the park, looking at the card in his hand.

_I’m glad Joey let us hang onto his Red Eyes Black Dragon. That’s his favourite card. And, now that we have it, it’s like his heart’s in our deck. Now matter where we are, Joey will be with us. And if we have to face Marik and his army of Rare Hunters we’re going to need all the support we can get. I just hope that Joey can survive the tournament without his Red Eyes._

‘He can.’ The Pharaoh looked at Yugi. ‘Joey is a great duellist and he seems to get better with every duel he fights. He just has to keep believing in himself.’

_Yeah, Joey has come a really long way since his first duel. And he just defeated Espa Roba without needing his Red Eyes. Maybe we need Joey’s card to help save the world from evil. Yugi suddenly looked worried. Speaking of evil, how will we know where Marik will strike next? We still don’t even know what he looks like._

_**No, but Sharee and Shamee do.** _

Demented laughter to the left drew the Pharaoh’s attention and he turned his head, tucking the card away. ‘Hm?’ There was an equally-demented looking clown across the clearing. ‘Who are you?’

‘Ha!’ It straightened up and hopped about. ‘Hello, Yugi.’ The clown bowed. ‘We’ve been looking for you.’

‘Hm?’ The Pharaoh turned fully. ‘Who’s “we”?’

‘You’ll find out if you walk that way.’ The clown pointed and the Pharaoh looked. ‘Fifty-three steps forward and into that tent. My master is waiting for you inside.’

The Pharaoh looked back at him.

The clown bowed again. ‘It’s in your best interest to go.’ He gave another demented laugh and disappeared behind a bush.

‘Hm.’ The Pharaoh was definitely curious. He walked forward.

***

Sharee was just finishing off an egg and lettuce sandwich, her lunch, when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the name across the screen before answering it. ‘Hi, Shauna.’

‘Sharee, you’re gonna hate hearing this,’ Shauna said. ‘Yugi’s duel disk just disappeared right off the map.’

‘What?’ Sharee did hate hearing that. ‘Just now?’

‘Just now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the system but the technology won’t trace him. So you better check it out.’

‘I’m already gone.’ Sharee hung up and bolted from the table. She relinquished the control of her body to Shamee.

***

The Pharaoh stepped out of the box that he’d stepped into. He had felt magic working and he knew he was no longer in that tent. Instead, he stepped out into what seemed to be an office of some sort.

_Where am I?_

‘Huh?’ The computer screen in front of him flicked on.

‘Hacking into Battle City database,’ the interface reported. ‘Duellist Profile for Yugi Moto.’ Sure enough, his profile appeared on the screen. It showed his picture, his rarest, and favourite, card and how he was ranked. ‘Duelling level: five stars. Rarest card: Dark Magician.’

Then something strange happened to the image of his Dark Magician. It shifted and changed form to another person’s. Then it shifted, smirking widely. ‘My Dark Magician!’

At that moment, the Pharaoh quickly took in all his surroundings. Aha, a scare tactic. Apparently, this fellow thought he could psyche him out just by this. The foreign Dark Magician emerged from the screen and hovered over the computer. Someone had gone to the trouble of giving it a voice – and the wrong one. It chuckled. ‘I’ve been waiting for you. You are not worthy of having me in your deck so prepare to lose me forever! You’re not the only duellist with my power in their deck, Yugi, and you’re certainly not the best.’ It pointed with its staff. ‘It’s time that you met the true master of the Dark Magician!’

The Pharaoh smirked and closed his eyes. Before Battle City began, Sharee had told Yugi about the sorcerer she met. He clearly remembered what she’d said. _‘He was completely loyal to the Pharaoh and you know what the scariest part was? He looked exactly like the Dark Magician.’_ If she was correct, and the Pharaoh was sure she was, that meant he was the Master of the Dark Magician. Also, there was the man to his left again.

The Pharaoh looked over. ‘All right, enough of these tricks.’

The man emerged from the shadows with that demented laugh. He had a duel disk with this Dark Magician. ‘Welcome, Yugi Moto.’ It had been his voice. ‘I am the Illusionist known as Arkana. And soon your favourite card will be duelling for me.’ He laughed again. ‘Only a true Master of Illusion deserves to hold a Dark Magician. You will never understand its full potential.’

The Pharaoh forced back a growl and faced Arkana. ‘That is enough, Arkana.’

Arkana walked over to stand opposite him. ‘Sorry, Yugi. I know it must be hard to think of your favourite card in another duellist’s deck.’ He stopped in front of his Dark Magician. ‘Well, I challenge you to a duel! The winner will take the loser’s Dark Magician.’

‘And I accept. You must know that when a duellist builds his deck, he choses his favourites from many different types of cards. But sometimes a card can choose a duellist. The two are connected and the duellist can tap into the card’s true power.’ The Pharaoh drew his deck from its case. ‘Because each is bound by the Heart of the Cards.’ He shuffled his cards. ‘And the Dark Magician has chosen me.’

Arkana glared at him.

The Pharaoh took his card from the top. It was the Dark Magician. ‘He has never let me down and I place my complete trust in my Dark Magician.’ He felt rather than saw his Magician appear behind him. And he knew, unlike Arkana’s Dark Magician, his was as solid as it could be in this dimension, not flickering like a bad computer graphic.

‘So it’s true,’ Arkana said. ‘The great Yugi Moto never backs down from a challenge. Very impressive.’

The two Dark Magicians vanished.

‘But this room’s a little cramped, don’t you think? Fortunately, I know of a special duel ring close by.’ He gestured dramatically. ‘Follow me.’

‘Hm.’ The Pharaoh looked to where he was gesturing. There was a set of stairs leading down into the floor.

Arkana turned and led him down them. ‘Hurry! It’s almost curtain time.’

The Pharaoh followed.

‘I have special orders from my superiors to make this a real spectacle.’

_**Rat rot!**_ The Pharaoh stopped. ‘What do you mean when you say you have orders from your superiors? Just who is it that you’re working for, Arkana?’ And he had a nasty suspicion he knew.

‘Relax and enjoy the show.’ Arkana turned. ‘Forget who’s backstage. Just worry about me.’ He laid his finger on the rim of his hat and chuckled.

_Could this deranged showman be working for Marik? If he is then there could be much more at stake here than just my Dark Magician._

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

They came down to the landing. ‘Ta-dah!’ Arkana crowed. ‘Beyond that door lies my duelling ring!’ The door was solid and metal, with a large red question mark on the top section. Arkana opened the door and led him in.

The Pharaoh sucked in a breath when he saw the ring. It was large and circular. A small table with the Millennium insignia was in the centre. He looked around some more, but there wasn’t much else here.

‘I had it specially made for this match!’ Arkana boasted. He cackled gleefully as he crossed to the other side of the table. ‘It’s almost time to raise the curtain and start the show. I hope you enjoy a good matinee, Yugi. You’ll notice we’re completely alone. There are no screaming fans and no cameras.’ He gestured around. ‘Yes, it’s the perfect setting for our private performance with so much on the line!’ He had a big smile for something behind him.

The Pharaoh walked to the nearest side of the table.

‘We’ll duel according to Battle City Tournament rules.’ Arkana turned back to him. ‘But thanks to our location, not even Kaiba knows we’re here.’

The Pharaoh knew that Kaiba wouldn’t react well to that. He was smarter than Arkana gave him credit for. He didn’t doubt someone would be beating the door in at some point during or after the duel. 

They both set their decks down on the table.

‘Now, let’s shuffle our decks and let the show begin, shall we?’ Arkana rifle shuffled his cards.

The Pharaoh’s own overhand style didn’t require a thought, so he could turn his mind to other things. ‘I’m watching you. Don’t try any slight of hand, Arkana.’

‘Card tricks are strictly for amateurs, Yugi Moto,’ Arkana said. They both laid their duelling decks down on the table again.

‘Just to be sure, I’ll cut your deck.’

‘Of course. You know, there is an old saying among high rollers and card sharks: always trust your opponents, but only after you’ve cut their deck!’

‘Ha!’ The Pharaoh had noticed as he cut the deck. ‘Here’s another: never trust a masked man.’ He pushed it back at Arkana and picked up his own deck.

Arkana picked up his deck. ‘Heh! I’m offended!’ He spread his arms. ‘Besides, you and I are a lot alike. We both play to win. Of course, in this duel performance you’ll find there’s an extra downside to losing.

The floor under the Pharaoh’s feet shifted and he felt himself going back. ‘Huh?’ Arkana was going back too. There were platforms under their feet, moving them to the edge of the duelling ring. The table was descending into the floor. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d had this place specially made.

‘Get ready,’ Arkana said. ‘The show – I mean, duel – is about to begin!’

Shackles came out and clamped around the Pharaoh’s ankles. ‘Wha…? No!’

‘Relax.’ Arkana was enjoying this too much. ‘We’re both locked in, which means neither of us can escape.’

The Pharaoh felt his temper burn as he looked up at Arkana.

‘See, there’s an extra twist. We’re not just playing for what’s inside your deck. We’re playing for what’s inside your mind!’

Two energy saws appeared at the side half-way points. They buzzed loudly and spun fast. There was also a line that each saw could go. This line went right to their legs. At the same time as he noted this, the Pharaoh knew that they weren’t actual saws. ‘What’s that?’

Arkana cackled. ‘It’s a dark energy disk, Yugi. And I wouldn’t get too close. One touch and your mind’s banished to the Shadow Realm! But don’t worry, Yugi. I’ll explain the rules to you, before you lose. See the numbers written above the energy disks?’ He was right.

There was 4000, 3000, 2000, 1000 and 0, all evenly spaced. _**Rat rot!**_ ‘Ah, those are life points. The closer the number gets to zero, the closer the disk gets to us.’

‘Precisely,’ Arkana said. ‘And then you can say hello to the Shadow Realm.’ He pointed. ‘All right, now look down between your feet.’

The Pharaoh did and a small box rose up there. It had 4000 across the lid.

‘You’ll see each of us has a key box.’

‘A key box?’

‘Yes, and inside is a key to unlock the shackles around your legs. Your box displays your opponent’s life points and will only open if you win the duel.’ He cackled again. ‘Only then can you save yourself.’

The Pharaoh clenched his fists. ‘You’re insane!’

‘Think of it as a hope chest, really, because that key is your only hope!’ He sniggered again and that turned into demented cackles.

‘What kind of person would toy with someone’s mind?’ the Pharaoh asked softly. He glared at Arkana. ‘Are you some kind of demented madman?’

‘No. I’m a man who’s undefeated.’

‘Not for long, Arkana!’

‘Heh!’ Arkana sneered.

‘You’ve met your match. So, get ready. It’s time for us to duel, Arkana!’ The Pharaoh held his arm up and the duel disk slid into active mode. The holographic projectors in the ring lit up.

‘The spotlight’s on us. It’s showtime!’

The Pharaoh drew. ‘Then draw your cards!’

‘As you wish, Yugi.’ Arkana drew and looked at them.

The Pharaoh looked at his own cards. Very good. He may have been thrown off-guard by most of this demented style, but he had noticed what else Arkana had done prior to the start of the duel. His suspicions were just confirmed from the way his opponent was smirking at him. He pulled a card from his hand. ‘And now, I’ll start this duel by placing one card face-down.’ He set the card and it appeared on the field. He took another card from his hand and played it. ‘And then I’ll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defence mode.’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it.

Arkana drew. ‘Brace yourself. I’ll summon my Legion the Fiend Jester, also in defence mode.’ The card and monster appeared in front of him.

‘You won’t be smiling for long.’ The Pharaoh drew.

_To defeat this trickster, I’ll have to think like a trickster. Here goes._

The Pharaoh took a card and smirked. Very good. ‘Since I don’t trust your hand, I’ll play this magic card.’

‘Don’t trust my hand?’ Arkana demanded.

‘Take this.’ The Pharaoh played the card and it flipped up in front of him. ‘Card Destruction!’

Arkana drew back. ‘Not that! My precious hand!’

‘Both players must discard their hands now!’ The Pharaoh pointed at him. ‘That means you, Arkana!’

Arkana shook and looked down at his hand. It confirmed what he’d thought.

‘Ha! You’ve been deceiving me from the start. I thought you’d fixed your first hand.’ He’d trimmed his Dark Magician so it would be on the top. The Pharaoh had felt the smaller card as he’d cut the deck. ‘So rather than take my chances at falling victim to another one of your tricks I destroyed both our hands so we can discard our old cards and start over with a clean slate. Say farewell to the cards in your hand, Arkana.’ He folded his cards.

‘Ugh!’ Arkana reluctantly discarded his hand and drew a new one. ‘You’ll pay for that, when I claim your Dark Magician and send you to the Shadow Realm.’

The Pharaoh put his cards into the discard slot and drew a new hand. ‘I wouldn’t count on that yet, Arkana. Reveal the face-down card!’ The card flipped up. ‘Brain Control!’

Arkana cried out in alarm.

‘This card lets me control any of your monsters, like Fiend Jester!’ The hands reached out and grabbed the Jester and pulled it to the Pharaoh’s side of the field.

‘My monster!’

The card and the hands disappeared. ‘Now, I’ll sacrifice your Fiend Jester and my Magnet Warrior!’ A vortex appeared and swallowed back of them up. ‘Which allows me to summon my ultimate monster.’ The aforementioned monster appeared out of the smoke. ‘Fear the power of _my_ Dark Magician!’

The Dark Magician stood on the field, calm and stoic.

***

Shamee had found the place. It was pretty deserted for the corporate offices it looked like. She looked around. The Pharaoh’s – and Yugi’s – heart signature was around here somewhere but it was below it. Knowing her luck, it was probably in a room with only one entrance.

Shamee suddenly heard a girlish giggle from behind her. She spun around. A cloth of pink material disappeared into one of the rooms. For some reason, she wasn’t the slightest bit wary of this. She ran after it and into the room. It led into an office that contained a computer, turned on but buzzing with nothing but static, and a stairwell that led into the floor.

Shamee ran around and down the stairs. She could feel it. The Pharaoh was just through this door. It was solid and made of metal, with a big red question mark on the top section, so it wouldn’t be easy to get through. Shamee grabbed the handle and gave it a turn. The door was bolted shut.

_**Rat rot!** _

Shamee looked around and smiled at what she saw in the upper wall. ‘Aha…’

***

The Pharaoh leaned forward. ‘When you believe in the Heart of the Cards, Arkana, you don’t need to cheat! You believe in nothing except trickery and winning at all costs. But now you’ll see what happens when you have faith in your cards, Arkana!’ He called out for the attack. ‘Dark Magician, show him some real magic…’

Arkana screamed. The Dark Magician leapt forward and made his assault.

‘…With a direct attack on his life points!’

The magic shot out of his Magician’s staff and struck Arkana. The illusionist covered his face and cried out. His life points dropped to 1500. Then the Dark Magician returned to his place, standing protectively in front of the Pharaoh.

‘You’ve already lost more than half of your life points, Arkana,’ he said. ‘Now, I’m still waiting for this grand magic show you promised me.’

Arkana drew back, making a sound of despair as he looked down. ‘The dark energy disk is getting closer!’ He shook for a moment before he gave the Pharaoh a demented smirk.


	12. The Master of Magicians Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharee and Shamee find them as the duel heats up.

Their attention was suddenly drawn by the sound of something metal hitting the floor. Both looked to the curtains that Arkana had hanging all over the place. One of them shifted and the Pharaoh wasn’t really surprised to see who came through. The ability to block a heart-reader’s senses was clearly a talent not possessed.

‘How did you get in here?’ Arkana demanded.

‘The ventilation shafts,’ Shamee said. ‘It’s not exactly dignified, but if you had left the doors open I wouldn’t have had to come in like that.’ She looked down at the dark energy disk. Instead of asking questions, like their modern-day friends would, she merely folded her hands behind her back and stood at ease.

Shamee would wait and watch for her answers.

May as well explain it anyway. ‘Why don’t you set us both free and end this madness, Arkana?’ the Pharaoh demanded, pointing to him. ‘My Dark Magician has already taken out more than half of your life points. One more attack and that dark energy disk will send your mind right to the Shadow Realm.’

Arkana laughed. ‘My mind? Never!’

The Pharaoh’s expression tightened.

‘Listen, Yugi, I promised you a spectacle, and I never disappoint. Not only will I win, I’ll take your precious Dark Magician from you and send you to mental oblivion!’ Arkana’s eyes narrowed. ‘You should stop worrying about me and take care of yourself, Yugi.’ He lifted his hand to his chest. ‘It’s my show, remember? I can’t lose.’

The Pharaoh closed his eyes. ‘I gave you a chance to save yourself but you’ve left me with no choice.’ He opened his eyes, turning steely purple eyes on his opponent. ‘Prepare to lose it all, Arkana!’

***

Shamee was now aware of the purpose of the glowing blue disks on the sides of the ring. It appeared to be a private duel and they didn’t want Kaiba knowing about it. While Shamee acknowledged she couldn’t do much, she would remain a constant support at her master’s back.

‘So the heart-reader found us?’ Arkana asked. ‘But she came alone. No one else will ever find us!’ He drew and smiled at his card, before turning it around. ‘Mystic Tomato!’ He laid the card on the field. ‘In defence mode.’ The card appeared and the Tomato rose out of it. ‘And I’ll place one card face-down.’ He set a card into the duel disk and it appeared on the field as well. ‘Let’s get with the show.’

Shamee rubbed her jaw and glanced at the Pharaoh. The Mystic Tomato was a weak defence. It would be a simple matter to destroy it. From the look on the Pharaoh’s face, he was thinking the exact same thing.

‘Here’s where it ends.’ The Pharaoh drew and laid a card down. It appeared on the field in attack mode. ‘I summon Beta, the Magnet Warrior!’ Beta emerged from the card. ‘Attack now!’ The monster moved forward.

‘Not so fast, Yugi!’ Arkana cried.

‘What are you up to?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘Ha! You’ve activated my trap!’ The card flipped up. ‘Dark Renewal!’

_**Well…rat rot.** _

***

The Pharaoh watched as a large coffin appeared on Arkana’s side of the field and the doors opened up. An energy spilled forth from a hole inside the coffin and encompassed both Arkana’s Tomato and the Pharaoh’s Beta. It sucked them both inside and the doors slammed shut.

‘It takes a monster from each player and sends them to the graveyard,’ Arkana said. ‘But, in return, it brings back one monster that’s been lost by the card holder. In this case, that means me!’ He cackled in delight.

That didn’t take a genius to work out. ‘You want your Dark Magician back.’

‘Very perceptive. That will give me a second chance to annihilate you.’ Arkana cackled again. ‘Welcome back, my Dark Magician.’ His coffin opened up, revealing his Dark Magician. He opened his eyes and leapt out from the coffin. The casket closed and disappeared behind him.

‘You have your wish,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘It’s Dark Magician versus Dark Magician. Let’s find out who the real master is.’

‘Our monsters’ points are identical, so merely attacking won’t be enough. You’ll have to think more strategically. And only a true illusionist, like myself, can master the power of a Dark Magician. Prepare to lose your card, and your mind!’

‘Think again.’ The Pharaoh took too cards from his hand. ‘Now I’ll place these two cards on the field, face-down.’ He set them and they appeared. ‘And end my turn.’

Arkana drew. ‘Two can play at that game.’ He set the card in his hand and took two more out to set on the field. ‘I’ll also place two cards face-down.’ They appeared. ‘So what’s next?’

‘I’ll show you.’ The Pharaoh drew. He laid another card and it appeared. ‘I’ll place one more card face-down.’

‘Brilliant move, Yugi.’ Arkana drew and laid another card. It appeared on the field. ‘So I’ll place one more card face-down as well!’

‘I’ll place my last.’

‘And so will I.’ The two final cards appeared on the field. ‘Heh! We each have four cards face-down and one Dark Magician. And now, let’s see who picked the best duelling strategy. I’ll play a magic card.’ He activated it and one of his cards flipped up. ‘The Mystical Guillotine!’ The Guillotine appeared on the field. ‘Say goodbye to your Dark Magician, Yugi!’

‘I won’t let you destroy him,’ the Pharaoh said.

Chains shot out and clamped onto his Dark Magician, pulling him to the Guillotine and holding him down. Arkana laughed. ‘As if you had a choice!’

‘My Dark Magician! No!’

‘I’m afraid it’s true!’ Arkana crowed. ‘Your Dark Magician’s about to be cut from the show and your mind will be trapped in the Shadow Realm!’ He cackled. ‘It’s time for the grand finale!’

‘Not yet, Arkana!’

‘Sorry, but the show’s over and the curtain must now fall!’ The chain released and the blade fell. ‘Right on your Dark Magician!’

‘I’m afraid that you’ll have to find him first!’ The Pharaoh activated his own magic card and it flipped up. ‘Go, Magical Hats!’ The Hats emerged from the card and flew around the Pharaoh’s Dark Magician, concealing him from view.

‘No!’ Arkana cried.

One Hat remained while the others retreated back to the Pharaoh’s side of the field. The Guillotine’s blade sliced through only the Hat. ‘Now, you’ll have to guess which Hat he’s under to attack him.’

‘Don’t be so sure of that.’ Arkana activated another of his down cards. ‘A Thousand Knives!’ The Knives emerged from the cards and flew into the opposition Dark Magician’s hands. ‘These magic daggers will detect and destroy your Dark Magician.’ He let the Knives fly. ‘It’s all over!’

‘Hold on, Arkana. I’ll rescue him with Curse Breaker!’ The Pharaoh activated another of his hidden cards. ‘It cancels out all other magic cards.’ The Knives and the Hats all shattered. His Dark Magician moved back to his position in front of him. ‘Destroying my Dark Magician won’t be easy, Arkana.’

Arkana ground his teeth. ‘Well, we’ll just see about that!’ He was a predictable as sunrise.

They both called out at the same time. ‘Dark Magician, attack with Dark Magic now!’ Both Magicians leapt forward and attacked. The energy crackled around them with the power.

‘They’ll destroy each other!’ Arkana cried. And just that happened.

‘And now my Dark Magician will return!’ Again, they commanded at the same time and activated a magic card in front of them. ‘Monster Reborn!’ Both Dark Magicians emerged from the cards.

‘Looks like we’re back to where we started,’ Arkana said.

‘Yes, a stalemate. Why don’t you unlock us from these shackles and finish this duel with honour?’

‘With honour?’ Arkana made it sound like the word was offensive. ‘And ruin all the fun? Never!’

‘Have it your way.’ The Pharaoh drew. ‘But answer this. Why did you lead me down here, Arkana? And why did you force me into a duel in which the loser’s mind gets sent into the Shadow Realm?’

‘I’m just following the orders of my master,’ Arkana said.

‘Enough secrets, Arkana. What’s going on?’

‘Look at my face.’ Arkana reached up and removed his mask.

The Pharaoh gasped in shock. His face was probably once very well-structured. Now it was hideously scarred and disfigured. He must’ve been the victim of some kind of terrible accident. So, the mask was a vanity to cover up this unappealing appearance. Shamee spoke for the first time since her entrance.

‘What happened?’

‘Once I was the greatest illusionist and magician since Harry Houdini himself. My act was the envy of the entire magic world. And I loved every minute of it. I had it all! Money, fame, but most importantly I had her. My sweet Catherine.’

Hm. A lost love. That explained a fair bit.

‘We were going to be married until that fateful day. It was a routine escape trick. I’d done it a million times. But as Catherine looked on, something went horribly wrong! There was an explosion. I’m still not sure what exploded or why. I lost my career and my movie star good looks that day. Then I lost Catherine’s love. I drove her away, Yugi! I was a broken man. I didn’t want her to see me ruined. She stood by me and I hurt her! By the time I figured that out, it was too late. She was gone. My life was over, until I met him: Marik!’

_**Rat rot!**_ That was what he’d been afraid of.

Arkana put his mask back on. ‘He made me an offer. If I could eliminate Yugi Moto for good, he’d help me win back Catherine with the help of his Millennium Rod.’

‘You do realise that means brainwashing her?’ Shamee asked.

‘Ha!’ Arkana scoffed. ‘No such thing.’

Evidentially not. ‘Working for Marik will only lead you to more pain and suffering, Arkana.’ Somewhere inside him, the Pharaoh felt an odd yearning rise up. He also felt deep sympathy for this man. ‘Marik cares about no one except himself. He’ll say and do anything to get what he wants.’

Arkana turned his head away. ‘Ha! It’s a cruel, cruel world, Yugi. You’ll find that out soon enough. There are very few things you can count on, and even fewer people. But I am counting on Marik to bring my Catherine back into my arms!’ He gestured to the curtains behind him and a light went on behind him. There was a clear silhouette of a woman sitting there. ‘There she is, waiting for me just like Marik promised!’

Shamee gave him a bland look. ‘You should probably know there’s no one there.’

‘How dare you!’ Arkana barked at her. He calmed though. ‘Well, isn’t it ironic that the heart-reader has no heart?’

Shamee ignored him and looked at the Pharaoh. ‘When I see Marik, I would like to kick him very hard.’

So would he, but that was very interesting. ‘Sharee appears to have mellowed you.’

Shamee smiled. ‘I could say the same for you and Yugi.’ She fell back into her at-ease position.

‘Don’t listen to them, my darling!’ Arkana called to the silhouette. He turned back to them. ‘Marik is a man of honour. You shouldn’t be so quick to judge people.’ Then he called back over his shoulder. ‘Give me a minute, darling. I have to destroy Yugi, then we can be together forever.’ Once more, he turned to the Pharaoh. ‘So you see, Yugi, it’s nothing personal.’ He laughed once again.

‘You’re a fool to trust in him,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Instead, you should be placing your trust in yourself and in your cards, Arkana.’

Arkana scoffed.

‘You rely on tricks and illusions to win, instead of believing in your deck,’ the Pharaoh told him. ‘And that will be your downfall.’

‘They’re just cards, Yugi, and nothing more,’ Arkana insisted.

‘That is your problem.’

‘Heh.’

‘They’re not just cards. My heart is in my deck and that’s something you’ll never understand.’

‘You talk about your faith in the cards, Yugi, but that will be your downfall. I knew you’d depend on your Dark Magician to bail you out, so I built my duelling deck with one purpose: to take your Dark Magician away from you!’ He threw his head back and laughed dementedly.

***

Kaiba and Mokuba walked into the main computer centre of the Battle City Tournament. As he’d thought, there was nothing wrong with the satellite link. That left one possibility on how they’d lost track of Yugi.

‘Yugi still hasn’t reappeared on our duellist tracking screen. His duel disk won’t operate unless it has a connection to Kaiba Corporation’s tournament computer or another compatible system. So, Mokuba, if Yugi is duelling someone who doesn’t want me watching, they must be battling in a secret location that has its own internal computer duelling system.’ That left him with one option. He called out to the operators. ‘Search for every computer system in Battle City that is compatible with Kaiba Corporation’s duelling system – and make it snappy!’

‘Right!’ The screen showed a map of Battle City with flashing red dots.

‘Isolate any systems to refuse to identify themselves to our network,’ Kaiba ordered.

One by one, the red dots disappeared.

‘I’ll hit the streets,’ Mokuba told him.

‘Hm.’

‘Just radio me when you find him.’ Mokuba ran out.

***

The Pharaoh tried again. ‘Set us free, Arkana. It’s not too late to stop this.’

‘Not until I win your Dark Magician!’ Even as Arkana spoke, the Pharaoh noticed that while his Magician was firm-faced and stoic, Arkana’s looked nervous.

‘Then make a move.’

‘With great pleasure.’ Arkana drew. ‘Hm.’ He set a card in his duel disk. ‘I place one card face-down.’ It appeared on the field. ‘Ready for the Shadow Realm?’

‘I won’t lose.’ The Pharaoh drew and set his own card as well as another one. ‘I place two cards face-down.’ They appeared in front of him.

‘Time to spice up this show. Ha! Ready, Yugi?’ He activated one of his down cards. ‘I reveal a magic card!’ It flipped up. ‘Back Into The Dark!’ Grey clouds gathered over the field and a large hand reached down.

The Pharaoh knew what that was. ‘No, my Dark Magician!’

Arkana laughed. ‘That’s right, Yugi, you should be scared. With its gruesome claw, this magic card snatches up any opponent’s monster and transports it directly to the graveyard. So you can say goodbye to your Dark Magician!’ The last bit was crowed.

The hand reached down and wrapped around his Dark Magician. ‘Oh, really? Afraid not!’ The Pharaoh activated one of his down cards and it flipped up. ‘You didn’t count on this! Mystical Rift Panel!’ The claw let go of the Pharaoh’s Dark Magician. ‘This trap card will counter the darkness of your magic card and spare my monster.’

‘Ha! But not for long.’

‘We’ll see.’

‘We will. Back Into The Dark was a decoy, to get you to waste your trap card.’ Arkana laughed.

_**Oh, rat rot.** _

‘I knew that you would fall for that trick. Now, it’s my turn to play a trap card, Yugi.’ Arkana activated his other down card. ‘Nightmare Chains!’ The Chains shot out and did exactly what Arkana said they would. ‘Theses chains will bind your Dark Magician, putting him out of play and leaving you open to a direct attack.’

‘My Dark Magician is trapped!’

Arkana laughed again. ‘With your monster hung up for the moment, all he can do is look on helplessly while I destroy his master.’

The Pharaoh growled and looked up at his Magician.

‘Of course, you won’t be his master for much longer, so it doesn’t really matter I suppose. Soon he will belong to Marik. And now, prepare yourself. It’s showtime!’ Arkana called out the attack. ‘Dark Magician, attack Yugi’s life points directly!’ He charged forward.

The Pharaoh braced himself. The full force of the Dark Magic Attack tore through Yugi’s body but the Pharaoh suffered the pain. He cried out as his life points dropped to 1500. When it finally stopped, the Pharaoh slumped forward a bit. His body was relieved to have the pain stopped but, if he didn’t defend himself, that would be short-lived.

‘Pharaoh?’ Shamee called.

Instead of answering, the Pharaoh straightened up. He knew it sent the same message anyway: _**I’m fine.**_

Arkana chuckled. ‘This is turning into quite the performance.’ He cackled in laughter. ‘One touch of that dark energy disk and your mind’s banished to the Shadow Realm!’

The Pharaoh watched as the disk moved closer to him.

‘I’m almost ready for my grand finale, Yugi, and it’s worth sticking around for. I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you, but let’s just say Marik will be extremely pleased.’ Arkana smirked. ‘You, on the other hand, probably won’t. But why spoil it? Now, it’s time for you to make your final move!’

The Pharaoh drew.

_If I can’t free my Dark Magician, Arkana’s got me!_

***

Tea panted for breath. Mr. Moto sat on the edge of the stone girder they’d stopped by.

‘We’ve been over every square inch of Battle City and we haven’t found a trace of Yugi anywhere,’ he said.

Tea straightened up. ‘We’ve just gotta keep looking for him.’ Suddenly, she saw someone familiar running down the street. ‘Huh? Look, Mr. Moto, it’s Mokuba.’

Mr. Moto turned.

Then Mokuba saw them. He stopped just in front of them.

Mr. Moto stood up. ‘Mokuba, you’ve got to help us. Yugi walked into a tent and he disappeared. We’ve looked everywhere.’

‘We’re afraid that he might’ve been kidnapped!’ Tea insisted.

Mokuba had the Kaiba determination written plainly across his face. ‘I know. Kaiba just found out where he is. I’m heading there right now.’

That was a relief. ‘What timing!’

‘You lead the way and we’ll follow you,’ Mr. Moto said.

Mokuba nodded. ‘We have to hurry.’ He took off again.

***

The Pharaoh held up his card. ‘Now I’ll summon my Big Shield Gardna, in defence mode.’ He played it and the card appeared on the field, the monster emerging from it.

_I’ve got to protect my life points._

Arkana immediately mocked him. ‘Look at you cowering behind your monster, desperately trying to put off your inevitable defeat at the hands of my mighty Dark Magician! I’m afraid won’t help you. After my next turn, your life points will be zero I promise you.’

The Pharaoh gasped.

‘Now, if you’re done with your turn it’s time for my next move.’ Arkana drew and picked up a card from his hand. ‘I will also summon a monster.’ He laid it down. ‘Say hello, to the Doll of Demise!’ The card appeared in attack mode and the monster emerged with a snigger. ‘And now, Yugi, behold the magic card that will annihilate you!’ He played his next card and the Pharaoh watched it appear and flip up on the field. ‘I play Ectoplasmer!’

The Pharaoh growled when he saw it. He wasn’t seriously going to use that card, was he? It was one of the worst things Pegasus had ever made. And it’d shown a total disregard for the life of the monsters in the game. Though it was a powerful card, the Pharaoh and Yugi both simply refused to have it in their deck.

‘Confused, Yugi?’

No, not really.

‘Allow me to explain it for you. Ectoplasmer is a card that drains the very soul of one of my monsters, creating a pure concentrated form of energy known as ectoplasm which is then fired directly at you.’  
The Pharaoh drew back. ‘What?’ So he was really going to use it. ‘If you turn your own monsters into hollow shells, they’ll be of no use!’

Arkana just laughed. ‘Maybe so, but once I’ve destroyed you I’ll have no more use for them anyway.’ His Dark Magician reacted to this with a stumble, looking back at him in fear. ‘Then my task will be complete and I’ll be reunited with my sweet Catherine!’ He turned back to the silhouette again and the lights flicked on to show it. ‘Did you hear that, Catherine, my darling? Just a few more minutes and then we’re off to Hawaii or Tahiti or wherever you’d like!’ He turned back to the Pharaoh. ‘Say goodbye, Yugi. I’m about to drain your life points by draining one of my monsters’ souls away!’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth. The sad fool just didn’t understand.

‘Extract ectoplasm!’ The Doll of Demise glowed as its soul was extracted and drawn into the upturned card. ‘Attack now!’ The stream of ectoplasm was released and sent right at him. It went straight through the Gardna, leaving him unharmed, the Pharaoh reflexively threw his arms up to cover his eyes. The ectoplasm struck him and he cried out as hot, white pain shot across his body. As the attack stopped and the pain faded, the Pharaoh slumped forward again. A sting still ran across his skin. His life points dropped to 700 and the dark energy disk slipped closer. The Pharaoh looked across at Arkana, a growl in his throat.

_One more hit and my life points will go down to zero._

***

Shamee watched with gritted teeth. If he got hit like that again, he was gone. Well…one of them was. Two minds in one body complicated the “banishing your mind” process. It didn’t escape Shamee’s notice, however, that the Dark Magician was also grinding his teeth. There was something very special about that particular duel monster.

Arkana thought he had this won. ‘You played well, Yugi. I’ll give you that, but do you know why you and your beloved Dark Magician couldn’t beat me? You’re too soft.’

Another growl sounded from the Pharaoh’s throat.

‘In battle, monsters respond best to fear,’ Arkana said. ‘You have to make certain that they are afraid of you.’ His Dark Magician certainly was. ‘You will never command their respect with kindness and trust. Just look what happened to your favourite card, the Dark Magician!’

That was when Shamee noticed it. She was getting a heart signature from the Pharaoh’s Dark Magician. She didn’t usually get those from duel monsters. The Dark Magician respected the Pharaoh. He loved him in the way a human would love a charge that…they had long ago sworn to protect. That meant she was right. There was more to the Dark Magician than it appeared. Her mind flashed back to Mahad.

_Well,_ Sharee mused in her head. _It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good mystery._

_**You, and me too.** _

Arkana went on, unaware of their internal conversation. ‘You are the master, they are the servant. And they should ensure victory for you, even if it means you have to destroy them to get there!’

If there weren’t shackles around his ankles and he wasn’t so disciplined, Shamee had the feeling the Pharaoh would cross over now and beat Arkana to a deformed pulp. ‘You’re a sick man!’

‘It’s my show and my Dark Magician knows that I am his master.’ The fear in the monster’s face made Shamee pity the poor guy. ‘He is nothing but my pawn. Now, the grand finale!’ Arkana activated his card again. ‘Activate Ectoplasmer!’

***

The Pharaoh watched in disgust as he did it again.

‘Extract the soul of my Dark Magician!’ The Magician slumped forward with a short and strangled sound. His soul went into the card.

‘Stop now,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘This duel has already gone way too far.’

‘Not when I’m about to win!’ Arkana crowed. ‘Fire the ectoplasm!’ Once more, the card fired out a monster’s soul. It went right through the Gardna and headed right for the Pharaoh. ‘Goodbye, Yugi!’  
But then something happened that no one was expecting. The Pharaoh’s Dark Magician began to glow brightly. The Pharaoh remembered what Sharee had said of the sorcerer she’d met. _Loyal to the Pharaoh. Looks like the Dark Magician._ If this was happening now, that meant only one thing.

Arkana cried out in shock. ‘What’s happening?’ It took him a moment to work it out. ‘But…that’s impossible!’

The Pharaoh was close to horrified, but he found he wasn’t surprised. ‘My Dark Magician!’ The Dark Magician’s soul left its body and shot around, blocking the attack from hitting the Pharaoh. He cried out against the force in front of him.

Arkana summed it up. ‘The soul of Yugi’s Dark Magician was also drained and it seems to be blocking my attack!’

Yes, it was.

‘They’ll both be destroyed!’

_**Then it must be true!**_ The Pharaoh watched as both Dark Magician souls were destroyed in a bright flash of light. ‘It looks like your plan to destroy me backfired.’ When it cleared all that was left was his defence monster and his two face-down cards. ‘You’re so busy disrespecting your cards, Arkana, that you failed to learn how to use them properly. While it is true that your Ectoplasmer drains your monster’s soul and fires that energy at your opponent, what you obviously didn’t realise is that when there’s more than one of the same monster on the field they’re all affected in the same way. So my Dark Magician was drained of his soul also, cancelling out your attack, Arkana.’

Arkana managed to recover himself. ‘You may have avoided that one, but you’re still one attack away from being banished to the Shadow Realm forever!’


	13. The Master of Magicians Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's been a second Dark Magician hiding in Yugi's deck.

‘Your Dark Magician is destroyed and your life points are almost at zero. One more attack and that dark energy disk will banish your mind to the Shadow Realm forever!’

The Pharaoh looked across the field. ‘Never. You’ve already lost by putting your trust in a scoundrel like Marik. You actually believe that if you defeat me, he’ll reunite you with your lost love, Catherine? If so, then you’re more of a fool than I thought.’

Arkana glanced behind him before he called back to the silhouette. ‘Don’t listen to him, my sweet! We’ll be together soon.’ He turned back to the duel.

‘Arkana, why don’t you save yourself and set us free?’

‘Ha?’ Arkana took a card from his hand. ‘And ruin the fun? Now I’ll place one monster face-down.’ The card appeared in front of him. ‘And end my turn. Yugi, remember this is my show. And the grand finale is so close that I can practically taste it.’ He licked his lips. ‘Don’t forget that I’m a master of magic, the king of all Dark Magicians.’

‘You’re not even close, Arkana,’ the Pharaoh said. He felt the facts of what he was saying twinging in his buried memories. ‘What kind of king would extract the soul of his very own Dark Magician? You disrespect your cards and rely on tricks to win. But I’ll make sure you lose.’

‘Huh? What’s that, Yugi? You’ll have to speak up. I’m afraid I can’t quite hear you…over the hum of the dark energy disk, waiting to send you to the Shadow Realm.’ He sniggered. ‘Get ready to kiss your Dark Magician card, and your mind, goodbye, Yugi!’

The Pharaoh glanced down at the dark energy disk.

‘This duel’s over.’ Arkana raised his hand and wiggled his fingers. ‘Now, watch closely while I pull a stunning victory out of my hat.’ He cackled.

‘Sorry, your tricks will have to wait since your turn’s over. It’s time for me to take control of this duel.’ The Pharaoh drew.

‘Oh, really?’

‘Yes. Especially seeing as you have no monsters left to defend you.’

‘Well, my life points are higher.’

‘Not for long, Arkana!’ The Pharaoh pulled a card from his hand and played it. ‘Now, I summon Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts!’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it with a roar.’

‘Activate Shadow Balance!’ Arkana’s face-down card flipped up, revealing a trap.

The Pharaoh knew what that meant. _**Rat rot!**_ Behind him, Shamee tensed.

‘This trap card makes the number of monsters you have on the field, equal to the number I have. And since I don’t have any monsters active on the field at the moment, that means you don’t either!’ Arkana cackled again.

The card glowed and the trap came out. It was like a massive pair of scales. The Pharaoh stared at it. ‘It can’t be! That removes my only defence against an attack!’ He ground his teeth. ‘Which means…’

‘When they’re gone, I can wipe out your life points!’ Arkana finished the sentence in triumph.

The thing groaned and came at his monsters. It opened its mouth and both Gizelle and Gardna were sucked inside. But they appeared at the top, on one of the balancing dishes. The Pharaoh knew what was coming next, even as Arkana cackled. The two sides of the dish lifted, turning into a mouth-like object and closing. His monsters cried out in pain as they were crushed.

‘Now what are you going to do?’ Arkana mocked him. ‘Your Dark Magician is destroyed and you’ve got no monsters on the field. Nothing can save you now. It’s over.’ He drew. ‘I hold in my hand the winning card, the key to sending your mind to the Shadow Realm and getting my sweet Catherine back. I told you I was the true master of the Dark Magician. And what kind of master would have only one Dark Magician in his deck? Hm? My first one may be gone, but I have another Dark Magician and he’s waiting to destroy you, Yugi! Plus, I can summon him without sacrificing a weaker monster…’

What? How? The Pharaoh didn’t need to be the five thousand years he was to know that if he couldn’t get a certain card out fast, he was through.

‘…thanks to this. The Dark Magic Curtain.’ Arkana threw the card down.

The Dark Magic Curtain? That meant he could immediately call any monster in his deck. It didn’t matter if his next Dark Magician was nowhere in his hand, he could still summon it. On the other hand, that also…The Pharaoh knew precisely which monster card he needed.

‘Watch this performance!’ Arkana crowed as the card flipped up and the Curtain emerged. ‘The Dark Magic Curtain allows me to summon a high-level monster, like the Dark Magician, without a sacrifice in exchange for one half of my total life points.’ His points dropped down to 750. He sniggered. ‘You’re on, Dark Magician!’ The skeletal figure holding the material yanked the curtain aside. Arkana’s second Dark Magician emerged. ‘Yugi, there’s no way you can win. Remember, my duelling deck was put together specifically to counter your strengths. Its mix of power and magic makes for an unbeatable show, don’t you think? Marik will reward me when I hand him your Dark Magician card and tell him your mind’s in the Shadow Realm!’ He threw his head back and laughed maniacally. ‘Pay attention as my Dark Magician wipes out the last of your life points, and ends your duelling career forever. If you thought the show was good before, you won’t want to miss this ending, Yugi.’

***

Shamee was tensed up tighter than a drum, she was sure. That couldn’t be good for Sharee’s body. She forced herself to relax. Despite how Arkana was going, she was sure the Pharaoh had a way out of this. He always did find the way that nobody else knew was even there. It was something Marik was very slow in learning.

And something Arkana obviously wasn’t aware of. ‘This is it! The final performance of Yugi Moto. Your life points are almost gone and you have no monsters to hide behind. As soon as my Dark Magician attacks, you’re finished! But first, just in case you’re counting on your two face-down cards to rescue you from having to spend all of eternity in the Shadow Realm, I will take the liberty of wiping them out. And I’ll take care of the job with my Anti-Magic Arrows.’ He held up the card in question.

Shamee’s eyes widened. No, there had to be a way to stop this. She looked back at the Pharaoh again. His face was composed and showed no signs of a man about to have his mind banished to eternal darkness. He had something up his sleeve.

‘Say goodbye to your last hope!’ But Arkana didn’t see it. He played the card. ‘Seek and destroy, my Arrows!’ The card appeared on the field and the Arrows streamed out of it, skewering the Pharaoh’s cards multiple times over. The cards and the Arrows disintegrated. ‘Looks like I’ve got you completely pinned down now, Yugi. The show is over.’

The Pharaoh growled and tensed.

Arkana gave the order. ‘Dark Magician, attack his life points directly!’

The Dark Magician glowed and came at him, but he was suddenly cut off. Shamee saw it happen and nearly laughed. Arkana should have thought of that before. She settled for a smirk. The Dark Magic Curtain was on the Pharaoh’s side of the field.

The Pharaoh smirked as well. ‘Not so fast, Arkana.’

Arkana cried out in alarm. ‘What’s going on? My Dark Magic Curtain is working for you?’

‘Yes,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘You should read the rules more closely. Its magic summoning power is available to both sides of the duelling field.’

This was something Arkana was clearly not prepared for that. He cried out again, this time in protest.

‘So that means I can drain half of my life points for a monster too. And just like you do I’ll play…another Dark Magician.’ His life points dropped to 350.

_**Oh! His girlfriend.** _

_Girlfriend?_

_**Huh. I wonder where that came from.**_ Shamee shook her head and decided to think on that later. ‘Oh, good, I like that one.’

Arkana either didn’t hear her or didn’t register what she said. He pointed to the Pharaoh with a quivering finger. ‘But, wait! I was told you only had one Dark Magician in your deck!’

‘Well, you’re partially right but mostly misinformed,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘Stop speaking in riddles!’

The Pharaoh held up a card, not letting Arkana see the Magician in question. ‘The card that I now hold in my hand is a different variety of Dark Magician, Arkana. And it is even more powerful than yours is.’

‘You lie!’ Arkana insisted. ‘I’d know if another Dark Magician card existed! It can’t be!’

_What’s he talking about?_ Sharee asked. _I thought there was only one Dark Magician._

Shamee smirked. _**Technically, there is but remember the Dark Magicians hold their origins in Ancient Egypt. You know the lore. Think about it.**_

‘It is!’ The Pharaoh played the card and the curtain was pulled aside. ‘Say hello to Dark Magician Girl!’

A female Dark Magician drifted out of the shadow of the Curtain. She had long blonde hair, rosy cheeks and very pretty green-blue eyes. Shamee was sure she was the most beautiful female monster that she’d ever seen. And there was something familiar about her form. She flew out of the cover and, unlike her male counterpart, she made happy little noises as she moved.

Shamee and Sharee both recognised the voice.

_Hey, that was the giggle._

_**Yes. Somehow or other, it was the Dark Magician Girl who showed us where to find the Pharaoh.** _

Arkana stared in disbelief. ‘It’s true. A female Dark Magician.’ A awestruck sound left his throat. ‘But you’re wrong about one thing. Your girlfriend’s attack points are less than my Dark Magician’s.’ He had gathered his bearings and growled. ‘In a head-to-head battle, my monster will wipe her out! It’s over! Dark Magician, attack Dark Magician Girl!’

_**Ha!** _

Arkana’s Dark Magician launched forward. The Dark Magician Girl made a “hmph” sound and regarded her opponent with disdain. A glow surrounded her body. As the Dark Magician attacked, she lifted her staff and shot her own attack out. The two powers clashed and an explosion ripped through the field. Arkana raised his hand and covered his eyes. The Pharaoh, nor Shamee, even bothered.

Arkana, ignorant dolt that he was, sniggered. ‘Finally, Yugi’s defeated!’

‘I don’t think so,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Take another look, Arkana.’

‘Hm.’ The Dark Magician Girl stood there, unharmed. She was smiling in satisfaction.

‘No!’ Arkana cried. His Dark Magician, on the other hand, was coming to pieces. ‘My Dark Magician’s been beaten.’ As he watched it disappear, a shocked sound left him. He tried to rationalise it. ‘But how? This was supposed to be my grand finale. It can’t be. He had five hundred more attack points than she did.’

‘Wrong again,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Dark Magician Girl gains three hundred extra attack points for every Dark Magician that’s inside the card graveyard, Arkana, making her strong enough to defeat your Dark Magician.’

‘Much like the real one,’ Shamee said. She cocked her head. _**Okay…really, now where did that come from?**_

‘It still doesn’t add up,’ Arkana insisted. ‘There’s only one Dark Magician card in your graveyard. Even with the extra three hundred points, her total is only 2300. That means my Dark Magician still outranks her by 200 points.’

‘Look again,’ Shamee said.

‘Open your eyes.’ The Pharaoh scowled at him. ‘If you were a master of the Dark Magician, you would have seen the answer in front of you.’

‘What?’ And then Arkana finally saw it. ‘No!’

‘Hmph.’ Now it was Arkana that the Dark Magician Girl regarded with disdain.

‘It can’t be!’ Arkana insisted as he rubbed his eyes. ‘My first Dark Magician’s there too!’ The monster in question turned and glared at him. ‘But…but…why? Why would the power of my Dark Magician be reborn in your monster?’

‘The Dark Magician Girl inherits points from every Dark Magician, no matter whose graveyard it’s in,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘So when you destroyed your first Magician, you helped give my Dark Magician Girl the power she needed to destroy your second.’ The Magician in question narrowed his eyes.

Arkana was breaking out in a sweat.

‘And now, Arkana, prepare for my grand finale.’ The two Dark Magicians behind the Dark Magician Girl faded from sight. ‘As I wipe out the last of your life points!’ The Dark Magician Girl prepared to attack.

Arkana panicked and began struggling in his shackles. Clearly, the idea of losing had never occurred to him while he’d been setting this up. ‘No! No, let me out!’

‘Dark Magician Girl, attack his life points directly!’ The Pharaoh gave the order. The Dark Magician Girl attacked.

Arkana screamed as his life points dropped to zero.

‘When you mistreat your cards, you pay a high price. You lose.’

***

Téa and Mr. Moto followed Mokuba as he ran to the doors of a building.

‘Seto said Yugi’s in here!’ Mokuba immediately started working on getting the door open.

‘Hey!’ Tristan had just pulled up on his motorbike. ‘Is everything all right, guys?’

Téa turned. ‘No, Tristan. Yugi’s been missing for hours!’

‘He’s missing?’ Tristan got off his motorbike and pushed it over to them.

‘He walked into a tent and disappeared,’ Téa explained.

‘And my brother traced him to the basement of this building,’ Mokuba said.

‘He must be trapped!’ Téa insisted.

Tristan grinned. ‘Well, then, we gotta bust in there and rescue him. So, let’s do it!’

***

The Dark Magician Girl finished her attack and returned to her place, protecting the Pharaoh. While the Dark Magician was cited as his favourite card, it was actually on par with this one. The Pharaoh’s affection for the Dark Magician was a different kind from the affection he felt for the Dark Magician Girl. She called an odd longing into his heart, like an echo from his lost memories.

‘You call yourself a Dark Magician Master?’ the Pharaoh demanded of Arkana. ‘It was your disrespect and your misuse of your own Dark Magicians that caused you to lose this duel, Arkana.’

‘That…can’t be!’ Arkana insisted. ‘There’s no way you could have defeated me, Yugi. I am the greatest magician the world has ever known! You’re nothing, Yugi!’

‘A magician and a duellist are two very different things,’ Shamee said.

True, but the Pharaoh felt, deep in his gut, that Arkana was not, in fact, the greatest magician. That title went to someone else, someone living in the distant past. ‘What I am is very sorry for you.’ He closed his eyes and bowed his head. ‘It looks like you led me all the way down here…’ He snapped his head up and his eyes open. ‘…for the sole purpose of losing at your own demented game, Arkana. You relied on trickery to win, instead of trusting and respecting the Heart of the Cards.’

Arkana quickly looked down with a gasp, seeming only to remember his own Shadow Game. ‘The dark energy disk!’ He covered his face with his arms. ‘Oh, this can’t be happening! I can’t lose or I’ll never get back my sweet Catherine! Help me!’

The key box at the Pharaoh’s feet ran down to zero and opened up. The Pharaoh looked down. ‘Ah, the key – and a locator card!’ As he bent down to unlock the shackles around his ankles he really did feel sorry for Arkana. All the man had really wanted was to get his lost love back.

***

Téa wasn’t sure how Mokuba knew which way to go, but he did. They were all running down the stairs in no time at all. Kaiba probably had blueprints of the place, if she thought about it, and had already directed Mokuba on which way to go.

‘Yugi!’ Mr. Moto called as they ran.

‘We’re coming, buddy!’ Tristan’s reassurance came as they came to a heavy metal door with a large red question mark on the top bit.

‘This is it.’ Mokuba reached for the handle and pulled. ‘It’s bolted shut!’

That was a problem, but Téa noticed something else. ‘Hey, guys, listen. What’s that hum?’

***

The dark energy disk closed in on Arkana. He screamed. ‘Someone help me!’

‘Don’t give us that!’ Shamee snapped. ‘You’re an escape artist too. I bet you have a spare key up your sleeve.’

Arkana suddenly looked at her and then grinned, producing the aforementioned key. ‘Ha, ha, a real magician always has one more trick up his sleeve. I will indeed make my great escape after all.’ He suddenly froze and a look of panic took over his face.

_**Marik.** Marik._

‘Just give me another chance,’ Arkana begged the madman invading his mind. ‘Spare me from the Shadow Realm!’ He paused as he received his response. ‘Please, Marik, please don’t send me to the Shadow Realm!’ Suddenly, he looked down at his hand. ‘The key…where’d it go?’

It was clearly still in his hand.

‘I just had the key and now it’s gone!’ Arkana’s panic increased. ‘I’m losing my mind!’

The key fell from his hand and dropped to the ground.

The Pharaoh got the shackles around his ankles unlocked. He straightened up and looked at the panicking illusionist. There was a banging on the door behind them. Tristan’s voice came through.

‘Hey, it’s us!’

‘Is that you in there?’ And Téa.

‘Yugi, we’ll get you out of there!’ Yugi’s grandfather was not really a surprise.

‘Should I let them in?’ Shamee asked.

‘Not quite yet.’ That said, the Pharaoh switched back to Yugi. He felt Shamee and Sharee switch over as well.

***

Yugi ran forward, Sharee right at his heels. ‘Hold on!’ He didn’t have it in him to let Arkana lose his mind to the Shadow Realm. He grabbed the key at Arkana’s feet and quickly unlocked his shackles. Sharee suddenly grabbed his jacket and yanked him back and then hauled Arkana out of the way of the dark energy disk as well. Yugi pushed himself up and panted for breath. ‘Not even a cheat like you deserves to go to the Shadow Realm.’

Arkana pushed himself to his feet, whimpering. ‘What have I done? Catherine…’ He staggered back. He turned around and bolted towards where the silhouette was. ‘…I’m coming! Catherine!’ He dived at the curtain and grabbed the figure behind it, hugging it tightly. ‘My Catherine, please stay and let me make it all up to you.’ He closed his eyes. ‘Please.’

The curtain fell away, revealing the cold, hard truth.

Shamee had tried to warn him. The figure that had been sitting behind the curtain was not Catherine. The form back there was really no more than a dummy. It was a plastic mannequin designed to look like Arkana’s lost love. All of it had been nothing more than a trick. The plastic head fell back.

‘My darling, what’s going on?’ The head fell off. Arkana finally opened his eyes. ‘I have been tricked. Or maybe Marik is just hiding the real Catherine to surprise me with later.’ He rested his cheek against the dummy. ‘Oh, Catherine, I need you back with me! We can finally get married and forget all this.’ He began to cry.

‘Arkana, are you going to be all right?’ Yugi asked.

Sharee answered instead. ‘Furtherest thing from it.’

‘Huh?’ Yugi looked up at Sharee. Her face displayed all the pity he felt. But there was also the look she got when she was planning something. Yugi was sorry for what Arkana had been put through. He wished there was some way he could help. It occurred to him that if he knew where to find this Catherine, he could explain what happened here and Arkana’s remorse but he had no idea where to even start.

Suddenly the illusionist stopped crying and scoffed. ‘Arkana is gone.’

Marik had taken control of him.

***

Sharee prepared herself as she saw Marik take over Arkana’s body. He had him stand and turn around. The millennium symbol glowed on his forehead.

‘So we meet again, little Yugi. I’m sure I need no introduction.’

‘Show your face to me, Marik,’ Yugi said. ‘Coward.’

_**My thoughts precisely.** Ditto._

‘I’ll reveal myself to you when the time is right and no sooner. Once I obtain what’s mine. And you know exactly what I want.’

Sharee spoke through her teeth. ‘The power of the king.’

‘Yes,’ Marik said. ‘The unlimited power of the ancient Pharaoh. The spirit that lives within the Millennium Puzzle.’

‘No way, Marik.’ Yugi was as strong on that one as she was.

‘You can’t stop me. Remember when I took control of Bandit Keith? I almost succeeded in separating you from the Millennium Puzzle forever. If it hadn’t been for the Digger’s Daughter here, I would have done so!’

Yugi clenched his hands into fists. ‘Tell me why you want the Pharaoh’s power! Answer me!’

‘Because that power is rightfully mine! And once I have it I will be unstoppable. The world will belong to me. And no one will stand in the way of my destiny. Especially, not you!’

Sharee scoffed.

‘Oh, yeah?’ Yugi asked him. ‘Just watch me, Marik.’

‘Listen, little Yugi, my family has slaved for centuries, protecting the tomb of the Pharaoh until his return. And for what? I should be the Pharaoh!’

‘Never,’ Yugi said. ‘You won’t get the power of the Pharaoh and we’ll make sure of it. That power belongs to the Pharaoh himself, not you!’

‘Ha!’ Marik barked. ‘Well, we’ll just see about that, little Yugi. You two are nothing but vessels for the ancient spirits. You could never comprehend his strength, nor could you stand in my way of getting it.’

Sharee smirked. ‘But remember, we were chosen as the vessels for a reason.’

Marik’s disdain was felt in the air. ‘We’ve given up too much to let someone else claim the Throne.’

‘Delusions of grandeur.’ Sharee stepped forward. ‘Come on, Pharaohs don’t have that kind of power anymore. He’s not here to pick up his reign where he left off. He’s here to finish his fight.’

‘Don’t tell me, girl!’ Marik snapped. ‘I was raised on the ancient scriptures, learning all there is to know about the Nameless Pharaoh and the Shadow Games. The key to his power is your Puzzle and the three Egyptian God Cards. But I can’t just take the Millennium Puzzle from you. According to the ancient scriptures, I have to defeat you in a duel first. Then I’ll banish you to the Shadow Realm.’

‘But why would you do that?’ Yugi, innocent as he was, really didn’t understand it.

Sharee answered first. ‘So that you can’t take a rematch and win your Puzzle back.’

‘Once I gain control of the Millennium Puzzle and obtain all three Egyptian God Cards, I’ll be king! And a much more worthy king than your counterpart. He doesn’t even know how to harness the great powers that lie dormant within him.’

Sharee felt her temper flare. ‘Well, you try being trapped on your lonesome for five thousand years and come out singing show tunes!’

Marik growled and then went on as if she’d never spoken. ‘I, on the other hand, know full well how to take them from him. And my Millennium Rod will ensure that I get everything I need.’

And that right there was why, even if he did become a king, Marik would never measure up to the Pharaoh.

‘Who has the cards?’ Yugi asked.

‘Marik has two.’ Sharee once again answered first. ‘Kaiba has the third.’

Marik spoke again. ‘Soon enough, my loyal team of Rare Hunters will bring the final card to me. It’s only a matter of time, you see, that is until I take what is rightfully mine and banish you and the former Pharaoh to the dreaded Shadow Realm where you will spend all of eternity while the rest of the world is kneeling before King Marik, the new Pharaoh!’ He laughed in triumph. ‘You’re powerless against me, little Yugi. And so is your little attendant. My destiny can’t be stopped. Don’t you see it’s only a matter of time? The three Egyptian God Cards, along with your Millennium Puzzle, will belong to me. Then I will strip the Pharaoh of his ancient powers and infuse them within myself.’

Yugi closed his eyes and wrapped his hand around his Millennium Puzzle. Sharee knew he was thinking about how he could stop Marik and how little he knew of the Pharaoh and Shamee’s past. Yes, the scriptures may have told Marik all about the spirits and their world. It may have been written how the power would be extracted, but it was clear what wasn’t written in the scriptures.

Sharee folded her arms across her chest. ‘I’ll give you all of that, but it won’t be as easy as you seem to think it will be.’

‘Huh?’ Yugi opened his eyes and looked up at her.

‘Hm?’ Marik asked. ‘What do you speak of, Sharee Pertinicle?’

Sharee laid her hand over her core. ‘Even if you take these souls, do you truly believe that you can just take the power within the Items? You’ve overlooked one very important detail: we’re the vessels.’

‘I am fully aware of that.’

‘And, yet, you miss the point.’ Sharee shrugged, turned and headed to the door.

Marik had one more thing to say. ‘I promise you, by the sands of Egypt, the Pharaoh’s power will be mine! Another of my mind slaves is already in Battle City, waiting to defeat you and take your Puzzle. And he holds an Egyptian God Card.’

Yugi gasped. ‘And what’s the name of this card?’

‘You’ll find out soon enough, little Yugi. Until then, beware the quiet one.’

‘What do you mean, Marik?’ Yugi demanded. ‘Who is the quiet one?’

‘We’ll meet again, Yugi.’

With that, Marik let go of Arkana’s body and the illusionist dropped. Sharee had no doubt Yugi caught him before he hit the floor.

‘I’m not afraid of you!’ Yugi called to Marik. ‘Next time, show me your face, you coward!’

Sharee unbolted the door and pulled it open. Tristan came flying through with a cry of alarm. For the past few minutes, it seemed, he’d been trying to beat the door in. Sharee shook her head. _It’s a steel door, buddy. You’re not gonna knock it down._ Mokuba, Téa and Mr. Moto was on the other side as well. Tristan jumped up and the other three ran in.

‘Yugi, you all right, buddy?’ Tristan asked.

‘We’re here!’ Téa cried.

‘And you missed all the fun.’ Sharee chuckled and pulled out her phone. ‘Somebody call an ambulance for red-suit. I gotta make another call.’ She stepped out of the room and strode thought the building until she got outside. She didn’t doubt all technology signals were blocked from inside there. Sharee dialled and waited until she got an answer. ‘Shauna, I need you to track someone down for me.’


	14. Playing With A Parasite Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weevil makes a move to get Joey's locator cards.

Sharee sat in the café in Battle City. She tapped her left heel on her right toe under the table as she waited. Her eyes were on the door. In front of her, unseen by anyone else, Shamee appeared and leaned against the edge of the two person table.

_**Are you sure about this?** _

_Maybe it’s being nosy, but call me a hopeless romantic. I have to at least try._

The door suddenly opened, causing the bell above to ring. A pretty blonde woman, stepped in. She looked around, unsure. Sharee stood up and looked for any signs of attachment. She saw none. The woman crossed over to her.

‘Are you Sharee?’

‘Yes.’ Sharee offered her hand. ‘You’re Catherine?’

‘That’s right.’ Catherine shook her hand. ‘Your sister called me and said you wanted to talk to me…?’

‘Yes, well…’ Sharee waved to the waitress, letting her know they were ready to order. ‘I should probably start…uh, there’s no easy way to put this. I have to tell you something and I doubt you’ll like it.’

***

Yugi stood with Mai. They were waiting on Joey. Sharee wasn’t duelling, of course, but she’d told him she’d find him later that day. She had something else planned for the morning. Yugi wondered what it was. She’d left the room after the duel with Arkana pretty fast.

‘That slacker should have been here ten minutes ago,’ Mai said. ‘I’ve got duels to win.’

‘Here comes Joey now.’

Almost as soon as she’d said that, Joey shot around the corner. ‘Hey, guys.’ He saw Mai. ‘Long time, no see.’ It might’ve been Yugi’s imagination, but Joey always seemed extra happy to see Mai.

‘Hey.’ Mai raised her hand and Joey gave her a high five. ‘Still in the tournament, Wheeler?’

‘You bet. I’m already the proud owner of two locator cards.’ He produced them from his pocket.

‘Then I guess I’m twice as good.’ Mai held up four locator cards.

‘What?’ Joey staggered. ‘You got four locator cards?’

‘Awesome job, Mai,’ Yugi said. He pulled out his. ‘I’ve got three so far.’

‘Aw, man!’ Joey groaned. ‘I got the least.’ He hit himself in the head. ‘How am I ever gonna make it to the Battle City Finals?’ He’d asked a question like that in Duellist Kingdom too.

‘Don’t worry, Joey,’ Yugi said. ‘There’s still plenty of time. You need a total of six locator cards to get to the finals and I know you can do it.’

‘Well, none of us are going to get to the finals if we’re standing around here,’ Mai pointed out.

Joey grinned. ‘Mai’s right.’ He turned and gave them a thumb’s up. ‘Watch out, cause I’m about to do some serious catching up!’

‘Good luck and miss me, boys.’ Mai blew them a kiss. Although…it seemed more aimed at Joey.

‘See you.’ But Yugi wasn’t going to say anything about that.

‘Luck is for amateurs,’ Joey said, as he and Mai headed off. ‘Later, Yug.’

Yugi watched them go and then he put his hand to his duelling deck. ‘I know one of Marik’s Hunters is after me. I’ll be ready for him.’ But as it stood, he couldn’t see anyone like that around – Rare Hunters always stood out like a busted thumb – so he headed off to find his own duel.

***

Sharee stepped out of the café. She wasn’t sure how successful her endeavour had been, but Catherine had listened to her. It had been clear, from the way the woman was nearly crying as she listened, that she did still love Arkana. The whole story was done with heavy editing. No mention of Millennium magic or other realms, just a madman and the illusionist’s desperation. Instead of saying Arkana’s mind was banished, she’d told her that he had fallen into the coma after the ordeal. Sharee had finished by explaining that she had called Catherine to tell her all this simply because she had felt sorry for Arkana. He knew he’d done something wrong and it destroyed him.

Sharee took Catherine’s reaction after the whole thing as positive. She’d first asked which hospital Arkana was in. Then she’d quickly excused herself and left, with a quick “thank you” over her shoulder. Then, to reward herself, Sharee had bought a glazed donut from the café.

When she stepped outside, she had already bitten into it and was chewing on her mouthful. That was when she heard a familiar voice yell. Turning her head, she saw there was a short kid running, a duel disk clutched in his hands. Joey, Tristan, Téa and Mr. Moto were chasing him. The kid had clearly stolen the disk from Joey…and with the way he was running, he’d go right by her – within arm’s length.

_Easy._

Rolling her eyes, Sharee stood where she was and waited. She timed herself and then snapped her hand out. He fingers swiftly curled around the kid’s collar and she yanked him back. He got the wind knocked out of him as he hit the ground. When he looked up at her, she smirked.

‘I hope you just got a little overexcited.’

Ten minutes later, the kid was sitting on a bench. He looked suitably contrite. Joey had put the duel disk back on his arm. Why he’d taken it off and handed it over in the first place was beyond Sharee, with his duelling deck still in it no less. Maybe she was just more familiar with underhanded tactics than was normal for her age. Side effect of being the daughter of a top Egyptologist, she supposed.  
Now the kid had to explain himself.

‘Come on, boy-o,’ Sharee said. ‘Out with it.’

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know how else to become a duellist.’

_Lie._ But Sharee’s father had, among other things, taught her when to let a fib slide and when to call it out.

‘See, I finally built the deck that I could duel with and this guy stole all my cards.’

That one was true.

‘So you stole someone else’s?’ Tristan demanded.

‘I know it was wrong,’ the kid insisted. ‘I just wanted to be in the Battle City Tournament. That’s all.’

‘The most important part of being a great duellist is always playing with honour,’ Mr. Moto said. ‘There would be no satisfaction in cheating your way in.’

The kid looked at him. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’

‘So who’s the punk that stole your duelling deck?’ Joey asked.

‘I don’t know.’ The kid looked at him now. ‘He had bug eyes and a head like a blue beetle.’

Sharee snapped her teeth together. She knew precisely who that was. Weevil Underwood. In other words, the truth was that Weevil had put this kid up to doing this. But what for? What was the point? There had to be one. That guy was a cheat, so he must’ve been hoping to eliminate Joey this way.

The others only then caught on. ‘It’s gotta be Weevil Underwood!’

‘I guess Weevil’s still up to his old tricks, eh, Joey?’ Tristan said.

‘All right! Now I’m angry!’ Joey shook in anger. ‘Where is he? I’m gonna teach that little bug a thing or two!’

Sharee noticed that the kid was startled with how fast they’d worked it out – or maybe that they even had at all. Well, it wasn’t that hard to work out. If Weevil didn’t want to be identified, he had to make himself look less…buggy.

Mr. Moto just gave Joey a patient, indulgent look.

‘He’s by the fountain,’ the kid said.

‘He’s mine!’ Joey took off.

Tristan was hot on his heels. ‘Hold on!’

‘Joey!’ Téa called, following.

Mr. Moto walked after them. ‘Goodbye, now.’

The kid stood up. ‘See you, and good luck.’

Sharee rolled her eyes and took up the rear. What obviously hadn’t crossed their minds was the fact that, if Weevil had merely stolen the kid’s deck, he wouldn’t know where the thief was. But they were all on too much of a roll for her to point that out. It’d be like telling Kaiba he was going to lose a duel when he had a distinct upper hand and a seemingly unbeatable strategy.

***

Joey stood with his friends around the fountain. He groaned. ‘Where is that bug-eyed punk?’

‘That kid said he was around here,’ Tristan said.

Sharee muttered something to herself. ‘Dink. If Weevil just took off with the kid’s deck, why would he know where to find him?’

‘I don’t know,’ Joey responded. ‘It’s not important.’

‘No, it is, Joey,’ gramps said. ‘She’s got a point.’

‘Looking for someone?’ Weevil stepped into view.

Joey scowled. ‘I thought I smelled a dung beetle.’

‘That’s my greeting after all this time?’ Weevil sniggered.

‘You stole that little kid’s cards, didn’t you, worm breath?’ Joey pointed accusingly at him.

Weevil glared at him. ‘I don’t remember stealing any cards.’

Tristan cracked his knuckles. ‘Well, then maybe I can help refresh your memory.’

Sharee was about to grab him before he could do something stupid. Joey, though, bet her to it. ‘Tristan, wait.’ He looked over at Weevil. ‘We’ll settle this fair and square with a duel.’

Téa gasped and stepped forward. ‘Be really careful, Joey. Remember when Weevil threw Yugi’s Exodia cards off the boat to Duellist Island. This guy’s a major cheater!’

Weevil cackled. ‘Careful where you point your finger, Téa. It might get bitten by one of my pets.’

Téa flinched. ‘Gross!’

Joey ignored her. ‘All right. Let’s do this!’

‘That’s fine with me,’ Weevil said. He held his hand up. ‘But we’ll duel for two locator cards.’

‘Two of them?’ Joey asked.

‘But if you lose both locator cards, you’ll have no way of getting to the finals,’ Téa reminded him.

‘That’s obvious,’ Sharee muttered.

‘It’s way too risky, Joey,’ Tristan stated.

‘As if you even have two!’ Weevil sneered.

‘That’s it.’ Joey wasn’t having that slime push him around.

‘Be careful, Joey,’ Téa said.

‘Yugi squashed this creepy little bug the first time they squared off at Duellist Kingdom.’ Joey stared Weevil down. ‘Now, I guess it’s my turn to do the same. How many locator cards do you have?’

‘Two,’ Weevil crowed.

‘Then once I step on you and take them both, plus your rarest card, I’ll be personally responsible for kicking your ugly mug out of the tournament.’ Joey was satisfied with that.

Weevil growled.

‘Just like Yugi did last time!’ Joey activated his duel disk. His life points shot up to 4000.

Weevil sniggered and activated his own duel disk.

‘Let’s do this.’

The two opponents stared each other down. ‘It’s time to duel!’

Joey drew and then he went first. ‘First I’ll play my Swordsman of Lanstar in attack mode.’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it. He laid another card. ‘And I’ll leave this little number face-down for later.’ It appeared on the field. ‘Take your best shot.’

Weevil mocked him. ‘Your Swordsman looks like he popped out of a toy box.’

‘This toy’s gonna slice and dice your hive,’ Joey shot back.

‘Well, is that so?’ Weevil drew and played his card. ‘Not if I play the much more powerful Flying Kamakiri Number One.’ The card in question appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it. ‘Now, my flying friend, attack!’ The bug came at the Swordsman. ‘Crush his mini-monster!’

Joey smirked. ‘Uh-uh. Watch this.’ He activated his face-down card. ‘It’s my Shield and Sword magic card. It swaps the attack and defence points of both our monsters…’ Just that happened. ‘…making my Swordsman’s attack strength a cut above your bug,’ The Kamakiri was destroyed.

Weevil growled as his life points were dropped to 3700. Then he sniggered again. ‘Oh, nice try.’ Another card appeared on the field. ‘When Flying Kamakiri Number One is sent to the graveyard, it automatically summons an even more powerful warrior to take its place: the dreaded Flying Kamakiri Number Two!’ He cackled. ‘You’re no match for my winged warrior, so give it up, Wheeler!’

Joey drew. Awesome! _It’s Jinzo, the card I won from Espa Roba. Now I just need to get it on the field._

‘Hurry up, Wheeler!’ Weevil snapped. ‘My Flying Kamakiri is getting hungry and it’s feeding time.’

‘Joey, just ignore him,’ Téa said.

‘Come on, Joey!’ Tristan called.

‘Heh.’ Joey smirked. ‘No sweat. I’ll just sacrifice my Swordsman so I can put Jinzo on the map.’ The Swordsman vanished from the field and Jinzo appeared. ‘Jinzo, smash his Kamakiri like a bug on a windshield!’ Jinzo raised his hands and fired the attack. The Kamakiri shattered.

Weevil glared as his life points dropped to 2800. ‘That wasn’t supposed to happen!’

‘Ha! Eat dirt, you little grub!’ Tristan called across at Weevil.

‘Squash that worm, Joey!’ Téa told him.

‘Here’s one more, in defence mode!’ Weevil took a card and played it.

‘You just set ‘em up, and I’ll knock ‘em down.’ Joey gave the order. ‘Jinzo, attack!’ This time the destructive waves of power came from Jinzo’s eyes and the card was hit. Instead of being destroyed, though, it morphed into, quite literally, a worm.

Weevil sniggered as the worm shot forward and attached itself to Jinzo.

‘What’s that?’ Joey asked.

‘Ah, that’s my leach Kiseitai,’ Weevil said. ‘It attaches itself to the first monster that attacks it, then it increases my life points by 1200 every time it’s your turn, so as long as my leach continues to feed my life points continue to grow.’

‘That’s not cool,’ Joey said.

‘Disgusting!’ Téa cried.

‘And this is just beginning of what I have planned for you!’ Weevil gloated as his leach injected its limb into Jinzo’s head. ‘You’ve got a lot to learn about the insect world, and I’m just the duellist to teach you, Wheeler. Now, I’ll play another monster in defence mode.’ The card appeared on the field.

‘I’ll take care of that.’ Joey gritted his teeth, however, when the leach activated.

‘And I’ll take more life points!’ Weevil’s life points shot back up to 4000. ‘Thanks to my leach friend.’

Joey growled and drew. ‘Jinzo may have a leach on him, but he can still cyber-attack.’

The beam shot out and attacked Weevil’s face-down card. The monster appeared on the field and shattered. Weevil’s life points shot up to 4500. He sniggered. ‘You’re too kind.’

What? ‘Hey, wait. More life points?’

‘That’s right!’ Weevil gloated. ‘You attacked my Skull-Mark Ladybug which gives me an extra 500 life points. Didn’t I tell you, you had a lot to learn?’

Joey growled.

Weevil drew. ‘I’ll play yet another monster in defence mode.’ The monster appeared on the field. ‘And since it’s your turn again, more life points please!’ They shot up to 5700. ‘With my leach feeding on your monster my life points will continue to grow, making me indestructible! Say goodbye to the Battle City Tournament, Wheeler!’

***

Sharee watched Joey’s duel, hopping from one foot to the other in agitation.

‘Here goes nothing.’ Joey drew. ‘It’s time to burn off your leach.’ He played his card. ‘Bug boy meet Panther Warrior!’ The card appeared on the field and the Warrior emerged with a roar. ‘He needs a sacrifice in order to attack, so I’ll sacrifice my Jinzo and get rid of you leach!’ Just like that, Jinzo and the leach were destroyed together. ‘Now, Panther Warrior, attack!’

With a roar, the Panther Warrior charged forward and slashed Weevil’s face-down card. The monster was revealed and shattered.

‘All right!’ Téa cheered. ‘Joey got rid of that blood-sucking leach!’

‘That stops Weevil’s life points from increasing,’ Mr. Moto said.

Weevil growled. ‘Okay, Wheeler, enough playing around. Up until this point, I’ve been going easy on you. But you’re starting to bug me so the time has come to unleash the fury of my ultimate destroyer.’ He drew and laid a card. ‘I summon the Larvae Moth.’ The card appeared on the field and the Larvae emerged.

Sharee recognised that one.

‘It’s the bug that Weevil used against Yugi,’ Joey said.

Weevil sniggered. ‘I see your memory’s better than your duelling, Wheeler. You probably know that you’re about to get demolished.’ He played another card. ‘Once I wrap my all-powerful Larvae in the terrifying Cocoon of Evolution!’ The next card flipped up and the Cocoon wrapped around the Larvae.

It was less disgusting than the last time.

‘Ah!’ Joey cried in alarm. ‘This isn’t good!’

Weevil cackled. ‘Over the next five turns the Cocoon will transform my mere Larvae Moth into a huge beast known as the perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!’

He ought to know we know this.

‘Heh!’ Weevil was still smirking widely. ‘Five more turns, Wheeler, and my Ultimate Great Moth will emerge and tear you into bug chow!’

Joey was tense as if this was physical pain to him. ‘No! I gotta pop that pupa!’

‘I don’t think so, Wheeler. My next card will crush any chance of that happening. You see, there’s already a parasite living inside your deck.’ Weevil pulled a card from his hand.

Sharee’s teeth snapped together. She’d thought he had that kid do something.

‘A what?’ Joey demanded.

‘Parasite,’ Weevil said. ‘An insect that lives off of other animals.’ He played his card and it flipped up. It glowed as it was activated. ‘So I play Reckless Parasite, which brings the parasite in your deck to life!’

‘You gotta be outta your mind!’ Joey looked at his deck. ‘My deck doesn’t have any insect car – ah!’ The deck glowed bright and the card appeared on the field.

‘You were saying? Looks like you had a Parasite Paracide card in your deck and I activated it.’ Vine-like tendrils shot out of the card and injected into Joey’s Panther Warrior, infesting him. ‘Now, every monster you play will be infected!’

‘That’s really gross!’ Téa insisted.

‘That little germ!’ Tristan yelled. ‘It looks like Weevil pulled a fast one on you, Joey!’

Joey turned. ‘I know! But how’d he get that parasite card in my deck?’

‘Obvious!’ Sharee called. ‘I told you it was weird, that kid knowing where Weevil was. Man, you guys gotta get out more.’

‘Huh?’ Joey looked back at the parasite. ‘Whoa, you’re right!’

Weevil sneered. ‘A great duellist prepares for an encounter long before it takes place.’

Tea stepped forward. ‘But that’s against the rules!’

Sharee gave her a bland look. ‘I thought we’d already established Weevil was a cheat.’

‘Yeah.’ Tristan glared and the bug duellist. ‘You creepy little cheater!’

‘Cheater?’ Weevil had that smarmy grin on his face. ‘It’s not my fault that Joey didn’t think to examine his deck before challenging me to a duel.’

‘Hey, watch it!’ Joey snapped as he watched his Panther Warrior be changed into an insect.

‘And while your monster’s being infected, my Great Moth will be evolving!’ Weevil crowed. ‘So I’ll play one card face-down and end my turn.’ He did just that.

Sharee clearly had a lot to teach these guys.

***

‘It’s true my Panther Warrior maybe infected, but he can still attack you as long as I sacrifice another monster, bug breath.’ Joey drew.

‘Uh, uh, uh.’ Weevil shook his finger. ‘Remember, every monster you play becomes infected by the parasite.’

‘So?’ Joey demanded.

‘So you can’t sacrifice a parasite-infected monster,’ Weevil said. ‘Which means your pathetic Panther Warrior can’t attack.’

Joey made an irritated sound. ‘Well, I got another plan so I’ll play Tiny Guardian!’ The card and the monster appeared on the field in attack mode.’ The parasite reached out and Joey watched in disgust as his Guardian was infected too.

‘Now another one of your monsters is infected,’ Weevil said. ‘And my Great Moth is still evolving.’

Joey’s eyes narrowed. ‘You don’t seem to realise that your Cocoon of Evolution has zero attack points.

‘Attack points mean nothing, you fool!’ Weevil insisted. ‘It’s defending me.’

‘Take a closer look, flea brain,’ Joey told him.

Weevil made a sound of alarm. ‘I forgot to switch my Cocoon into defence mode!’

‘That’s right,’ Joey said. ‘And with zero attack points, it’s a sitting duck. Tiny Guardian, attack!’ The Guardian brought his sword up and shot forward.

‘Oh, no!’ Weevil drew back. ‘I’m done!’ Suddenly, he grinned again. ‘Or so you think.’

‘Eh?’ Joey demanded.

‘This magic card will save me.’ Weevil activated his face-down card. ‘I activate Insect Barrier.’ A golden network of lines appeared over his side of the field. ‘It protects me by repelling all insect attacks.’

The Guardian got caught in the barrier and was tossed back.

‘And since every monster infested by a parasite becomes an insect, my Barrier will protect me and my Cocoon from all of your monsters.’

‘Ah, I can’t attack!’ Joey cried in alarm.

‘Come on, Joey!’ Tristan called to him. ‘You gotta kick Weevil’s cheating butt to stay in the Tournament.’

Gramps called out too. ‘Joey, you’ve got to stay calm and believe in your deck. There may be a way to use Weevil’s own trick against him.’

Yes, there might’ve been. Joey thought hard about that one. What would Yugi do if he was the one standing here with an infested deck?

Weevil sneered. ‘It is hopeless. Once my Great Moth awakens and then emerges from its Cocoon in just four turns it will completely annihilate you!’ He planted his hand on his hip. ‘Wheeler, thanks to my Barrier, none of your monsters can attack me.’ He drew. ‘And while I wait for my Great Moth to evolve, I’ll start weakening your life points.’ His eyes slid across to look at the card.

Joey ground his teeth. _I know I can take this guy. But first I gotta build up my defence to protect my life points. Then, like Yugi’s grandpa said, maybe I can use that Parasite card to help me._

Weevil played his card. ‘Now I summon Leghul!’ The card appeared on the field and the worm-like monster emerged. ‘Attack his life points directly!’ Leghul shot forward and, in a tribute to his own name, he bit Joey’s leg.

Pain shot up and Joey flinched back with a grunt of pain. His life points dropped to 3700. ‘How’d you do that?’ He watched the monster return to Weevil. ‘I still have monsters on the field.’

Weevil sniggered. ‘Leghul is able to bypass your monsters.’ He held up a finger. ‘Your life points are in serious trouble. And you still can’t attack me. Care to throw in the towel, Wheeler?’

‘Nah,’ Joey said. ‘I don’t think so.’ He drew. ‘I switch both of my monsters into defence mode.’ They shifted.

‘How sad.’ Weevil drew. ‘You know what happens in just three more turns: my Great Moth is born.’ His smirk deepened. ‘But meanwhile…Leghul, attack his life points directly!’ This time, the worm bit his arm.

Joey’s life points dropped to 3400.

***

Téa was worried. She knew that Mr. Moto and Tristan were too. She thought that Sharee was also just as worried, but she was a lot better at hiding it. The only indications were her hopping from leg to leg and chewing her bottom lip. But Sharee said nothing unless she thought it was necessary.

‘Two turns,’ Weevil said. ‘And you still can’t attack me.’

‘I gotta pass again!’

‘Just one turn to go. I promise you this, my Ultimate Great Moth is like nothing you’ve ever faced before. Or will ever face again.’

Poor Joey. He looked so down in the dumps.

Tristan stepped forward. ‘Enough with the Moth, Underwood, we get it!’

Joey lifted his hand. ‘Stay cool, Tristan.’

Tristan made a worried sound in his throat.

Joey lifted his head and drew. ‘I play Alligator Sword in defence mode.’ He laid the card and it appeared on the field. The Alligator emerged from it. ‘And I play another card face-down to end my turn.’ Joey did and the unidentified card also appeared. Immediately, the parasite reached out and infected Joey’s Alligator.

Weevil scoffed. ‘Now your Gator is parasite food too!’

‘All right.’ Joey pulled his arm in front of him. ‘I’m all set to face this big Moth of yours. So why don’t you bring it on now?’  
Weevil laughed. ‘We’re about to see exactly how ready you are. Time’s up, Wheeler. Ultimate Great Moth,’ he spread his arms, ‘erupt from your Cocoon and reveal your supreme power!’ The Cocoon shifted. Then it cracked and burst, releasing the Great Moth from inside, screeching as it lifted into the sky. Téa was barely even aware of the surprised sound that left her throat – or Tristan’s or Sharee’s or Mr. Moto’s.

‘Man, that’s big,’ Joey said.

It was even bigger than the one Yugi had to face.

Weevil crowed. ‘Behold the insect embodiment of your final destruction. It’s all over for you, Wheeler!’ He cackled in laughter.


	15. Playing with A Parasite Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey has to find a way to defeat the Great Moth, and the parasite that's infected his deck.

Joey stared up at the Great Moth. He remembered Yugi having to deal with this. He’d managed to beat this bug, so Joey could do it. Then again, Yugi had managed to crack the cocoon before it hatched. There was still a way to win this. He just had to find it – as well as the way to attack, which Weevil felt the need to remind him of.

‘Your parasite-infected monsters still can’t attack me!’

‘Well, it’s not over yet,’ Joey insisted.

‘Give it up, Wheeler. Now that my Ultimate Great Moth has emerged, you’re as good as squashed and your two locator cards are mine!’

Tristan spoke behind him. ‘You wish.’

‘Zap that big bug, Joey!’ Téa called.

‘Stay focused,’ gramps coached.

‘You’ll be saying goodbye to Battle City in no time, Wheeler.’

‘Whatever.’ Joey was barely listening to him, his mind racing.

Weevil pointed. ‘Prepare to witness the devastating power of my Great Moth. Destroy his Alligator Sword, now!’ The Moth flapped its wings and such a gust came out and at his monster that it was destroyed. Joey raised his arms and grunted against the after-effects of the blast. Weevil sneered.

‘Come on!’ Tristan called. ‘You must have some kind of giant fly swatter or something in your deck.’

Sharee spoke up, sounding incredulous. ‘Who has a giant fly swatter in their deck?’

‘What are you?’ Weevil asked him. ‘His pom-pom girl?’

Tristan could have blanched. ‘Don’t make me come over there.’

‘Look, thanks to the parasite living off his side of the field, all of Wheeler’s cards are now insects, allowing my Insect Barrier to block every one of their attacks. Besides, only Gate Guardian and the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon have enough attack points to defeat my Great Moth. And I doubt you have either of them in your pathetic deck.’

Joey ground his teeth. _How am I ever gonna crush Weevil’s Great Moth? That thing’s too strong and none of my monsters can attack anyway. Come on, deck, show me some love._ He drew. His eyes narrowed. _Yes, just the card I needed, baby! Look out, you little vermin. Joey’s got a plan._ He set the card. ‘I play one card face-down and switch all my monster cards to attack mode.’ The monsters shifted.

Behind him, he knew all his friends were startled. Gramps even asked if he heard right. Téa expressed her confusion and Tristan was sure the pressure had finally gotten to him. Sharee was, as normal, silent. Joey didn’t react to any of it. Weevil sniggered.

‘Bring it on!’ Joey called to him.

‘You got it!’ Weevil drew and laid the card. ‘I doubt that a fool like you could have anything sneaky planned, but just in case I’ll place this monster in defence mode.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘Now you remember Leghul, don’t you?’ He sniggered. ‘Perhaps I should refresh your memory.’ He called the order. ‘Leghul, bypass his monsters and attack his life points directly!’ The purple worm attacked and Joey fell back as it slammed into him this time. He hit the ground hard.

‘Get up, Joey!’ Téa called.

Joey’s life points dropped down to 2800. He pushed himself up.

But Weevil wasn’t done. ‘Now, since you put your parasite card in attack mode, and it’s technically the weakest monster on the field, I’m going to attack it which will knock your life points down to zero.’ The Moth begun to attack. ‘Finish him off, my Great Moth.’

Joey activated the card he’d just played and it flipped up. ‘Nice try, bug-brain. Reveal Skull Dice!’ The sprite and its die emerged from the card and it rolled. ‘This card will reduce your monster’s attack power depending on the roll of the die. So, the higher the number, the weaker your Moth gets.’

Weevil cried out in alarm.

The die landed on a two. _Darn!_ ‘What? A two?’ Although it wasn’t all bad. ‘Oh, well, it still cuts the attack points of your oversized pest in half.’

The Great Moth’s attack went down to 1750. Weevil didn’t seem worried. ‘That was a sad attempt to survive, Wheeler. My Moth can still blow your parasite to pieces.’

‘Don’t count on it.’ Joey reached for his duel disk. ‘I’ll reveal my other face-down card. The magic card Graceful Dice.’ The card in question flipped up and, again, the sprite and die emerged. ‘Part two of my ingenious master plan.’

Weevil made a sound and drew back.

‘The higher I roll, the stronger my parasite monster will become, you little termite! Bet you’re sorry you snuck that into my deck now, huh?’

Weevil cried out in shock. ‘It can’t be!’

‘I need a four or higher to swat your Moth.’ The sprite rolled the die and they watched as it went. It came to rest at four. ‘All right! Parasite Paracide’s attack points multiply by four to 2000.’ The card grew.

Weevil cried out again. ‘I can’t watch!’

The arms of the parasite reached out and wrapped around the Great Moth. ‘Say bye-bye to your bug.’ It squeezed until Weevil’s ultimate monster shattered. Weevil cried out and his life points dropped to 5450. Behind Joey, Tristan and Téa hit high fives.

‘Great duelling!’ gramps called.

Joey drew. ‘That’s right, Weevil. Joey’s back.’

‘My Moth!’ Weevil whined. ‘My precious, precious Great Moth! You squashed it like a common fly!’ He glared and pointed at him. ‘You’ll pay! This duel isn’t over yet, Wheeler, not by a mile!’

Joey scoffed. ‘Bring it on, Weevil. I’ll exterminate all your little critters.’

‘You won that round.’ Weevil took a card from his hand. ‘But my next surprise will win me the duel and send you packing.’

‘Heh, we’ll just see about that!’

‘Yes, we will. First I’ll play this.’ He held his card up before playing it. ‘Ta-da! My Insect Soldiers of the Sky.’ The card appeared on the field and the monster appeared on the field. Weevil held up as second one. ‘Next comes a magic card, Eradicating Aerosol!’ He played the card and it appeared on the field. ‘This card has the power to destroy any insect card on the field! And since all of your parasite-infected monsters are still insects, I could take one of them out but I’ve got bigger plans.’ His glasses flashed. His defence card turned to attack mode and flipped up. ‘So I play Pinch Hopper.’ The insect emerged from the card. ‘And now I can destroy my own insect.’

Sharee finally spoke up. ‘Uh…Why?’

‘Yeah,’ Tristan called. ‘What gives?’

Gramps knew though. ‘Once Pinch Hopper goes to the graveyard, Weevil can summon any monster from his hand.’

‘Any monster?’ Joey demanded. That wasn’t good.

‘Yes.’ A hand with a can of insecticide emerged from the magic card. ‘Eradicating Aerosol, now destroy my Pinch Hopper!’ The finger went down on the trigger of the can and the poison was sprayed. The Hopper was destroyed, coming to pieces. Weevil sniggered. ‘Now I can summon a creature whose attack power is virtually limitless.’ He took the card from his hand and played it. ‘Insect Queen!’ The card appeared on the field. ‘She’s my rarest card and, if played the right way, is totally unstoppable. Prepare to lose it all, Wheeler!’ The massive insect emerged from the card. ‘You may have defeated my Great Moth but my Queen will trouse your puny defence and wipe out your life points. Now, you will face a power like no other!’ The Insect Queen gave a battle cry. ‘Say goodbye to Battle City!’ He chuckled for a moment. ‘If you think my Insect Queen is powerful now, just wait until you see her special function. She absorbs the attack points of every insect on the field.’

Joey drew back. ‘It’s still got less than your Moth and I creamed that thing.’

‘You weren’t listening.’ Weevil pointed at him, in full gloat-mode now. ‘She absorbs the points of every insect, yours included.’

‘Mine?’ Joey looked at his side of the field and realised. ‘That’s right! My monsters are still considered insects because of that stinking parasite.’

‘Exactly! Now, absorb their power, my Queen!’ As Weevil’s Queen’s power grew, so did her size.

‘That’s a thousand more attack points!’ Joey insisted.

The Queen was sitting at an attack of 3200.

‘Come on!’ Tristan called.

‘Oh, no!’ Téa cried.

‘Joey!’ Gramps called out advice. ‘Remember, insect cards can be extremely tricky. And to battle an insect duellist, you have to think like an insect duellist. You destroyed his Great Moth and you can destroy his Insect Queen!’

Weevil sniggered again. ‘And now I give my Queen another power boost.’ He pointed to one of his other monsters. ‘I sacrifice Leghul!’ The Insect Queen’s mouth glowed and Leghul came up and was slowly eaten. ‘The more she feeds, the more powerful she becomes.’

Joey blanched and his stomach turned.

Téa and Gramps exclaimed in disgust. Tristan was in complete agreement with them. ‘Now, that’s just disgusting.’

‘Yeah, really.’ Even Sharee vocalised disgust. ‘I’m just glad my dad’s not here.’

‘Insect Queen, attack!’ Weevil ordered. ‘Annihilate his Tiny Guardian!’ The Queen roared and the attack shot out of her mouth. Joey’s Guardian was destroyed. What was left of it fell to the ground as purple sludge. Weevil chuckled and adjusted his glasses. ‘Now, your monster is…bug juice. And you lost some serious life points.’

Joey ground his teeth as his life points dropped to 1000.

‘And it gets better,’ Weevil said. ‘With every monster my Queen destroys, she lays an egg.’ She did just that. It was gross. Weevil cackled triumphantly. ‘These eggs let her keep the extra attack points even after the monster’s destroyed.’ He sniggered. ‘Plus, when these eggs hatch I’ll have an entire insect army.’

_I gotta scramble those eggs before any munchkin monsters hatch. They’ll be on me like a swarm of killer bees. But as long as Weevil’s Insect Barrier’s in effect, I can’t attack! Even if I do summon a monster, that parasite card will turn it into a bug and then his Insect Queen will absorb its attack points and get stronger._ Joey narrowed his eyes. There’s gotta be a way out of this. Joey drew. ‘Here goes nothing.’ He looked at the card. He had an idea. ‘I’ll place one card face-down on the field and end my turn.’ He did just that.

Weevil smirked.

‘Joey, you forgot to switch all your monsters back into defence mode!’ Gramps called.

Well, yeah, that was the point. But he couldn’t have Weevil knowing that. Joey blanched like he hadn’t done it on purpose. ‘Huh?’ He didn’t doubt that Sharee hadn’t fallen for it though.

‘Tough luck.’ Weevil certainly didn’t see through it. ‘Now there’s nothing defending your life points against my attacks. Time to finish you off, Wheeler!’

Joey steadied himself, like he was preparing for the final blow.

‘Oh, no!’ Gramps cried. ‘If Joey’s attacked now, his life points will drop to zero!’

Weevil sneered and held up a card. ‘So long, Wheeler.’ He played it. ‘I summon Cockroach Knight…’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from within. ‘…to feed my Queen.’ The Insect Queen gobbled up the next bug. ‘And whenever my Cockroach is destroyed it returns to the top of my deck so I can keep sacrificing it to increase my Queen’s strength. And now, my Insect Queen, destroy his Panther and knock him out of the Tournament for good! Attack!’ He gloated at Joey. ‘Your life points are history.’

Joey smirked. ‘Don’t be so sure, Weevil.’

‘Huh?’ Weevil drew back.

‘Let’s see if you can guess what’s beneath card number one.’

‘No!’ Weevil stumbled. ‘Not a trap card! You kept your monsters in attack mode on purpose, didn’t you?’

‘On the nosey.’ Joey put his finger to his own nose. ‘And because you fell for it and went for the kill, it’s time to pay.’ The card flipped up. ‘Activate Magic Armshield.’ The Armshield emerged from the card and went up, grabbing one of Weevil’s bugs.

‘My Insect Soldiers of the Sky!’ Weevil cried.

‘My Magic Armshield lets me defend myself against your attack by using one of your monsters to deflect the blow.’ The Armshield brought the insect down in time to catch the Queen’s blast. The Insect Soldiers of the Sky fell to the ground as sludge. The Armshield vanished.

Weevil screamed. His life points dropped to 3250.

‘Now whose points are history?’

The Queen laid another egg. Weevil ground his teeth. ‘You may have blocked one attack, but you’re just prolonging your defeat.’

Behind him, Téa groaned in annoyance. ‘I can’t stand him!’

‘Joey’ll shut him up as soon as he destroys that Insect Queen,’ Tristan said.

But Joey knew he had a problem.

‘What’s the matter, Wheeler?’ Weevil crowed. ‘Did your flea-sized brain run out of ideas already? There’s no way out. As my Queen gets stronger, she’ll continue to lay eggs that’ll hatch into a swarm of insect warriors. And as if that wasn’t enough, to ensure my victory in this duel, Wheeler, thanks to my Insect Barrier you still can’t attack.’

Joey drew. ‘Don’t count your eggs yet. To protect my life points, I’ll put both my monsters in defence mode.’

Weevil sniggered. ‘Looks like someone’s running out of options, but relax. I promise that I’ll finish you quickly.’ He drew and held up the card. ‘You recognise this? It’s Cockroach Knight again.’ He played it. The card and monster appeared on the field again. ‘Eat and grow strong, my Queen.’ The Insect Queen ate it again too. ‘And, now, attack his Panther Warrior!’

The Insect Queen roared and attacked. The infected Panther Warrior was destroyed.

Weevil sniggered again. ‘Another bites the dust!’

_Aw, man. The only thing standing between Weevil and my life points is that parasite card. I gotta summon another monster if I wanna squash him, but whatever I summon will become infected by the parasite and feed his Insect Queen._

The monster in question laid another egg.

_And once those eggs hatch, I’m in real trouble._

‘Time to hand over your two locator cards and go home, Wheeler!’ Weevil threw his head back and laughed.

Joey tensed. _Maybe bug-boy’s right. I used up my best cards already and that Queen’s way too strong._ He jammed his eyes shut.

‘Hang in there, Joey!’ Téa called. ‘We’re all behind you!’

‘Trust yourself, Joey,’ gramps said. ‘Trust your deck.’

Tristan threw his two cents in. ‘Focus, Joey! You’ve gotten out of tougher situations than this before! And, remember, Serenity looks to you for strength so you gotta stomp this termite for your sister.’

‘Huh?’ _Serenity? Tristan’s right. Serenity’s never given up on me. When I duelled that psychic fraud, Espa Roba, and the odds were against me, she never stopped believing in me. So I’m not about to let my sister down by letting this bug-eyed freak get the best of me. Plus, the whole gang’s rooting for me and, with my friends behind me, there’s no way I can lose._

‘You can do it, Joey!’ Téa called out again.

So did Tristan. ‘Don’t let that little bug push you around!’

‘Believe in yourself, Joey,’ gramps told him.

‘Just give up, Wheeler!’ Weevil snapped. ‘It’s over.’

Joey fixed him with a hard stare. ‘Joey Wheeler doesn’t quit. Maybe you’d understand if you had friends.’ He drew. ‘Come on…’ He looked at the card. That’s what I’m talking about! Belief in the Heart of the Cards would get you everywhere. There as a serious flaw in Weevil’s strategy – if you could call it that. Heh, looks like things are starting to turn around. Joey looked across the field.

‘You’re finished,’ Weevil said. ‘You know Parasite Paracide will affect any monster that you summon.’

Not quite. Joey took two cards and played them. ‘I’ll place one card face-down and summon Gearfried, the Iron Knight!’ The card appeared on the fields and the monster emerged from it.

‘You fool!’ Weevil crowed. ‘Once your Knight has been infected by my parasite card, he’ll just be another snack for my ravenous Queen!’

The snort of amusement behind him told Joey that Sharee got it. The parasite came at the Knight and wrapped around him. It squeezed and attempted to find a way to infect him.

‘Don’t be so sure about that, Weevil,’ Joey said. ‘Some cards are bug-proof!’ As he said that, the parasite retracted.

‘What’s wrong?’ Weevil demanded, stumbling back a step. ‘Why can’t the parasite feed on it?’

‘If you’re gonna bend the rules, make sure you know everything that could possibly go wrong,’ Sharee said.

Joey elaborated. ‘He’s Gearfried, the Iron Knight. And that slimy parasite’s helpless against his metal armour.’

Weevil seemed like he could hardly believe it. ‘How’d you figure that out?’

‘He did his homework, Weevil,’ gramps said. ‘You should’ve known that Parasite Paracide wasn’t able to feed off of metal. And you call yourself an expert insect duellist?’

‘Awesome!’ Tristan cheered. ‘That means the Knight can smash through the Insect Barrier and attack.’

‘And I got a perfect plan to wipe out your Insect Queen, Weevil!’ Joey finished the explanation up. ‘And my plan starts with those eggs.’

‘No!’ Weevil cried.

Joey called the attack. ‘Gearfried the Iron Knight, attack his Queen’s eggs and lower her attack power!’ The Knight shot forward, right past the Insect Queen and sliced through the first of the eggs, destroying it.

‘That’s it!’ Weevil yelled. ‘Next turn, you’re bug food!’

Behind Joey, his friends cheered.

‘Every time the Insect Queen chows an opponent’s monster, she boosts her attack points and she lays another egg,’ Joey said. ‘But, until they hatch, those eggs are defenceless. And, now that your Insect Barrier can’t stop my attacks, I’m free to wipe them out. So, tell me, Weevil. Does Insect Queen like her eggs poached or sunny-side up?’

Weevil growled and then smirked. ‘Enjoy this while it lasts, cause after my turn I’ll be one duel closer to the Battle City Finals.’

Joey ground his teeth.

‘No one gets away with disrespecting my Queen like that,’ Weevil insisted. ‘Prepare to be pulverised as I power up my mighty Insect Queen with even more attack points.’ He drew a new card. ‘First off, I will summon Soldier Ant.’ He did just that and the card and monster appeared on the field. ‘Then activate the magic card Ant Reproduction.’ That card appeared on the field as well. ‘Watch them multiply into an ant colony!’ Soon there was a swarm of Ants on the field.

Joey frowned. ‘What now?’

‘I’ll explain. This card takes one Soldier Ant and turns it into an army of ten Ants for the length of my turn. I bet you know what’s next, right, Wheeler?’

‘Queenie’s gonna absorb the attack points of each one and then get even stronger,’ Joey said.

‘That’s right.’ Weevil’s Ants all began to disappeared. ‘And now that my mighty Queen’s done powering up, it’s the end of Joey Wheeler once and for all!’ The Queen opened her mouth and attacked.

Joey drew back with a yell.

Weevil was back to gloating. ‘Goodbye, Wheeler. And now, my lovely Queen, destroy his scrap heap of a Knight and what’s left of his life points.

Joey smirked. ‘You grub, I was hoping you would attack me.’

‘You were?’ Weevil’s shock really was amusing.

‘All part of my plan,’ Joey said. ‘Activate the trap card!’ His face-down card flipped up, revealing what it was. ‘Grave Robber!’ The Robber emerged.

‘Not Grave Robber!’

‘Yup. He can take a card from your Graveyard and use it against you. And he just nabbed your can of Aerosol.’ The Grave Robber turned the card so Weevil could see it. The hand and spray can emerged. ‘Time to exterminate your Queen!’ The poison was sprayed out and the Insect Queen cried out as she was destroyed. ‘Yeah! There goes my pest problem.’

‘What have you done to my Queen?’ Weevil whined.

‘But wait. I’m not through with you yet, Weevil Underpants. Gearfried, destroy his last egg and the rest of his life points.’ The Iron Knight ran forward and Weevil drew back. Gearfried slashed through the last egg. ‘Welcome to Loserville, Weevil. Population: you.’

Weevil’s life points dropped all the way to zero and he dropped to his knees. ‘I…I…I lost? I don’t believe it!’ He groaned.

Behind Joey, his friends cheered for his victory. Joey himself walked across the battlefield and stood over Weevil. He planted his hands on his hips. ‘All right, Weevil, cough ‘em up: your Insect Queen and two locator cards.’

Weevil looked up at him reluctantly. ‘Have mercy.’

‘Mercy?’ Joey asked. ‘No way. You should have thought of that before you decided to cheat. Now, just like a Duellist Kingdom, you’re out of the Tournament!’

Weevil cried out and fell back, like a snivelly child.

***

Yugi looked up at the screen over the street with a smile. Joey had kicked Weevil’s butt, just like Yugi himself had back at Duellist Kingdom. Around him, people talked about it. He heard one person’s very telling comment: ‘He wasn’t second at Duellist Kingdom for nothing!’

 _Awesome! Joey’s almost made it to the finals._ He’d gotten two more locator cards in that duel. Yugi looked down at the card his friend had given him at the start of this whole Tournament. _And he did it all without his Red Eyes. I know it’s my destiny to help the Pharaoh save the world and I get the feeling Joey’s Red Eyes is gonna help me do it. It won’t be easy, especially with Marik’s Rare Hunters out there looking for me, but I’ll be ready._


	16. Mime Control Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, Marik uses a mime artist to challenge Yugi.

‘Who’s the man?’ Joey crowed. ‘Thanks to Weevil, I’m only two locator cards away from the Finals!’

Sharee grinned to herself and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Every time Joey won a big duel, he felt the need to brag. Sharee supposed it showed how green he really still was. With any luck, it’d taper off as he got older.

‘That was some seriously impressive duelling back there, Joey,’ Tristan said. ‘You sent that cheater running out of Battle City like a roach from a spray can.’

‘Thanks, Tristan.’ Joey turned to him as they walked. ‘I guess I was the star of the show today, wasn’t I? The crowd dug me, I crushed Weevil. What a duel, huh?’ He looked down at the card in his hand. ‘Plus, I got that termite’s rarest card: the Insect Queen!’

‘And you totally deserve it, Joey,’ Téa told him. ‘Think about it. So far, you’ve outsmarted two top duellists and both of them turned out to be major cheaters.’

They all stopped. Joey’s eyes widened. ‘Yeah, why do I attract these freaks?’

Grandpa Moto laughed. ‘It’s good practice, Joey. Duelling Espa Roba and Weevil prepared you for anything. You’re on your way to becoming an experienced duellists.’

Joey smiled and rubbed the back of his head. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Eat your heart out, Yugi!’ He started laughing.

Sharee rolled her eyes. ‘Well, speaking of Yugi, I think I better go find him and tell him about this.’ She turned and ran off before anyone could decide to follow. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be around them. It was more that her pace had to be adjusted when she ran with them. Usually, she didn’t mind that but now she felt that she needed to move as fast as she could.

***

‘Marik keeps talking about wanting the power of the Pharaoh.’ Yugi was standing under the bridge, looking down at the water as he thought this through. ‘But you are the Pharaoh.’ The spirit next to him was not casting a reflection like Yugi was. ‘If you really had all this power inside you, don’t you think that we would know about it?’ He looked up at him. ‘I guess you must if you saved the world. But what happened?’

The Pharaoh was looking down at the water. He lifted his eyes to look at Yugi. _**It’s all still unclear.**_

‘Well, we know that Marik’s family’s been protecting your tomb for years.’ Yugi tried to hash out what they already did know. ‘And for some reason he got this crazy idea that he deserved to be the Pharaoh instead of you.’ Yugi looked forward, his determination surging. ‘And I’m gonna do everything I can to help make sure that Marik doesn’t get away with it.’ He took the Puzzle in his hands and looked at it. ‘As long as he doesn’t defeat us in a duel, he can’t take the Millennium Puzzle, or your hidden powers. Destiny brought this Puzzle to me. And, even though I didn’t know it when I first put it together, I was meant to have it and now you and I are bonded forever and, no matter what, I’m going to help you save the world just like you did in the past.’ He turned and looked the Pharaoh in the eye. ‘You may have done it alone five thousand years ago, but now you’ve got me by your side. And, not only that, but we’ve also got our friends behind us. And with this kind of support you’ll never lose.’

The Pharaoh smiled. _**Thank you, Yugi. Your friendship means a great deal to me.**_

Yugi clenched his fists. ‘Together, we’re gonna find out about your past and put a stop to Marik’s plan.’ He hesitated. ‘I just hope that I’m strong enough to hold my own, like Sharee does.’

_**You’ve already proven your strength, Yugi,**_ the Pharaoh said. _**And you shouldn’t try to compare yourself to Sharee. She’s merely had more of an opportunity to experience life. Your courage and determination are as great as I’ve ever seen.**_ He smiled. _**I’ve said it before. You have the heart of a true hero.**_

Yugi nodded. Suddenly, though, the Pharaoh turned. He looked around. Yugi noticed there was a tenseness about him now.

_**I sense a darkness approaching.**_ The Pharaoh vanished from Yugi’s sight.

Yugi looked around, searching for this adversary. ‘I don’t see anyone. Show yourself!’ A call of his name behind him made Yugi turn. A figure was jumping over the edge of the bridge and slid down so he was standing opposite him. It was a mime-artist with many facial piercings. He skidded to a stop just opposite Yugi.

A dark chuckle in a familiar voice came from the mime, mixing with the man’s own voice. ‘Prepare to duel…and lose your Puzzle!’

‘Marik!’

‘Yes,’ Marik said. ‘And, soon, you and the entire world will be calling me “Pharaoh”!’ He laughed maniacally. ‘Meet my mind-slave: Strings, the Quiet One. And, thanks to the power of my Millennium Rod, he shall defeat you.’

Another brainwash victim. ‘Coward!’

‘We’ll meet soon enough, Yugi,’ Marik assured him. ‘Until then, why should I waste my time when I can duel you through my mind-puppets? Battling with the power of my Millennium Rod is no different than you using your Puzzle to duel.’

Yugi knew the difference, and he knew that was a goad. He didn’t give into it. After all, the Pharaoh still gave him his free will. That was what Marik never did with any of his victims. Marik just wanted to put him at odds with the Pharaoh. That wasn’t going to happen. Yugi relinquished control.

***

The Pharaoh glared at Marik through his mind-slave. ‘That’s not true.’ He pointed accusingly. ‘You force your servants to do your dirty work by taking control of their minds against their will.’ He clenched his fist. ‘I duel with respect and honour.’

‘And I will do what is necessary to claim that Puzzle.’

‘To do that, you’ll have to defeat me, Marik, and break the Heart of the Cards.’ The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. ‘And I can assure you that won’t happen.’

Marik attempted to goad him again. ‘You call yourself a Pharaoh? You don’t even know how to use your power. So destiny has chosen me to take the power of the Pharaoh away from you – and then destroy you.’

‘That ancient power is not yours to take, Marik,’ the Pharaoh said.

_You tell him!_ Yugi spoke up from his mind. _No way is he getting his hands on your power!_

_**I just did.** _

_Okay._

Kids. The Pharaoh turned back to his opponent. ‘Marik! Make your move.’

***

‘Aha!’ Sharee slowed and came to a stop as she spotted the structure that led down to the riverbank. Down there, she saw the Pharaoh was in control of the body. He was facing off against one of Marik’s mind-slaves. The eye on the guy’s forehead was a dead giveaway.

Across the city, Sharee could feel through Shamee, “Bakura” was heading into the Domino Museum. It looked like his Millennium Ring was honing in on Ishizu’s Millennium Necklace. But Sharee wasn’t worried about that. Ishizu had far more control over her item than that Evil Spirit would be expecting…if he even saw her. No, what had Sharee’s interest was the duel beginning below her.

Sharee relinquished control to Shamee.

***

‘Your plan will never work, Marik,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘I’m afraid it already has. I’ve drawn you into a duel you can’t possibly win. It’s all over for you, Pharaoh.’

The Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed. ‘All right, Marik.’ He pulled out his duelling deck and put it into place. ‘No more talk!’ He was aware, of course, of Shamee standing at the top of the structure leading down here. He also knew, unlike Sharee, she would remain silent through this unless directly asked a question. The two of them duelling activated their duel disks and the projectors flew into place.

‘Prepare to be destroyed by the force of my Egyptian God card!’ Marik crowed.

‘I’ve heard enough!’ the Pharaoh snapped.

The next thing was said by both of them. ‘Let’s duel!’ Their life points sat at 4000.

‘You and your mind-slave will never win my Puzzle, Marik,’ the Pharaoh stated.

Strings drew. ‘I disagree,’ Marik said. ‘And now…’ He played his card. ‘…I set one card face-down.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘And play this monster in attack mode. Meet Humanoid Slime!’ He set the card and it appeared on the field. The monster emerged from it. ‘This is the beginning of the end for you, _Pharaoh_ , so make your move and prepare to lose everything.’

‘You will fail!’ The Pharaoh drew.

_Huh, since he played a really weak monster, I bet he wants me to attack it._

The Pharaoh looked up at the Humanoid Slime.

_Then he’ll use his face-down card to destroy my monster._

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes at Yugi’s thought.

_Well, there’s no way I’m gonna let him get away with it._

No, there wasn’t. ‘I also set one card face down.’ The card appeared on the field as the Pharaoh played it and took his next card. ‘And then I’ll summon a monster known as Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!’ The card and monster appeared on the field when he set the card down. Gizelle roared. ‘A stronger beast than yours.’

‘Yes, your monster is almost twice as strong as mine, but don’t be so sure your Gizelle will prevail. It takes more than strength to win a duel.’

‘I’m well aware of that.’

‘Then you won’t be surprised when my Humanoid Slime annihilates your monster.’

‘Hmph. I’d like to see you try that, Marik.’

The mind-slave drew. ‘Very well. I summon Worm Drake.’ The monster appeared on the field. The mind-slave pulled another card from his hand. ‘Now watch what happens when I activate my magic card.’ He set it on the field. ‘Time for Polymerisation.’ The card appeared and immediately set to work. ‘I’ll use it to fuse Humanoid Slime and Worm Drake together into a diabolical new monster.’ The creature took shape. ‘Behold my new weapon: Humanoid Worm Drake. It’s twenty-two hundred attack points are more than enough to destroy your Gizelle, as well as a portion of your life points.’

The Pharaoh studied the new monster for a moment. ‘When you fuse two monsters together, you must wait one turn before you can attack. So you’ve left yourself wide open, Marik.’

‘That’s of no concern to me,’ Marik said. ‘Rules are meant to be manipulated. And my face-down card will take care of that task for me. I’ve simply outsmarted you, Pharaoh.’

‘Let’s see.’

‘Just as you wish. Reveal face-down card.’ Marik’s card flipped up. ‘The Quick Attack magic card.’

_**Oh, rat rot!**_ ‘You can attack now!’

‘Very perceptive,’ Marik said. ‘Quick Attack allows my monster to attack on the same turn it was formed. Hm, you’ve underestimated me as a duellist. And, for that, you must pay a price so watch as I destroy your monster and move one step closer to relieving you of your Millennium Puzzle forever! I’m afraid you’re no match for me, Pharaoh.’

The Pharaoh shifted.

‘Now, watch, as my Humanoid Worm attacks! Destroy his Gizelle, my beast.’ With a roar, the Humanoid Worm attacked.

‘Ha.’ The Pharaoh smirked. ‘Hold on, Marik!’ He activated his face-down card and it flipped up, glowing brightly. ‘Activate de-fusion, turning your one monster into two again!’ The monsters came apart and returned to their original forms.

The mind-slave drew back and Marik made a sound of surprise. ‘So you knew my plan at the start?’

‘Yes,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘As soon as you played a monster as weak as Humanoid Slime in attack mode, I knew then and there that you were luring me into attacking, Marik.’

‘And I thought you fell for it.’

‘That’s exactly what I wanted you to think, but it was really I who was luring you to use your hidden magic card so that I could reverse it.’

The mind-slave ground his teeth, as Marik was no doubt doing wherever he was.

The Pharaoh folded his arms. ‘I was hoping for a far more challenging duel from you, but you’ve only disappointed me.’

‘This duel’s far from over.’

‘You’ll never win my Millennium Puzzle if you continue duelling like that.’ The Pharaoh lowered his arms again.

Marik huffed. ‘It seems you’re as smart as they say you are. But that last turn was only a test. I will not be denied my victory or your Puzzle!’

‘You will if you keep making amateur moves.’

‘You shall witness my true skills in due time. And once I defeat you, I’ll become Pharaoh and banish you to the Shadow Realm! The relentless power of my Egyptian God Card will deliver me your Puzzle and assure your destruction! Prepare to face a force, the likes of which you have never seen! Your Puzzle and your power will soon be mine.’

‘Only if you win.’ The Pharaoh drew and looked at his card.

_Buster Blader’s too powerful to waste on his weak monsters, but I’m sure it’ll come in handy when Marik plays something more powerful. So I’ll hold it until the time is right._

‘Now I’ll dispose of your weak monsters.’ The Pharaoh set a card and it appeared on the field. ‘I play Beta the Magnet Warrior, in attack mode. Destroy his Worm Drake now!’ Beta attacked, his electricity sailing across the field to the Worm Drake. It hit and the monster was shattered. ‘And, next, my Gizelle will attack! Destroy his Humanoid Slime with your Claw of Destruction!’ Gizelle attacked and the Humanoid Slime was destroyed as well. ‘The difference in their attack strengths means you lose one thousand life points.

Marik’s life points dropped to 3000.

‘Now, Marik, you have no monsters left to protect you.’

‘Very impressive duelling, but I’m just testing out your strengths and weaknesses so that I can ultimately destroy you and take away all that you possess.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

‘It’s time for round two, and this duel is about to get interesting.’ The mind-slave drew. ‘Are you ready?’ He looked at what he had. ‘The card I now hold is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It’s a creature that simply cannot be destroyed. It’s a shapeless being made completely of plasma, with no solid mass, making it utterly indestructible – and the perfect defence against enemy attack. So prepare to experience Revival Jam…’ He played the card and it appeared on the field, emerging from its card. ‘…in defence mode.’ Marik was right, it was a shapeless blue blob. However, it did draw itself up into a ghost-like shape. ‘Just try to attack. You will fail, I tell you.’

‘It looks weak to me, Marik,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘It looks weak, does it?’ Marik retorted. ‘Well, take a look at this.’

The Pharaoh gasped and drew back as Marik played another card. A large dome-shaped device appeared from the new card now on the field.

‘It’s my Jam Breeding Machine. And it begins the countdown to your destruction!’ Sure enough, the Machine started doing something. The circular panel on top began to glow and the Machine itself began to hum. ‘What’s it do? Think of it as a monster-creating machine, breathing life into a new plasma creature every turn. And this machine will continue to provide me with more and more plasma beasts called Slime Tokens.’

‘Your plan’s obvious,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘You’re going to produce plasma monsters until you have enough to sacrifice and summon your Egyptian God Card.’

‘Very impressive, Pharaoh. Too bad you can’t stop me. Once my Breeding Machine creates three Slime Tokens, I’ll be able to summon the monster that will bring about your ultimate destruction: my Egyptian God Card.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth. He couldn’t let that happen! The only problem was how he’d go about stopping it. Creating three Slime Tokens would, theoretically, take three turns. That meant that was how long he had to destroy that machine. Although something told him it wouldn’t be that simple.

‘And then your Millennium Puzzle will belong to me forever!’

‘Sorry, Marik, but as long as I believe in the Heart of the Cards your plan will never work.’ The Pharaoh drew. ‘So prepare to lose.’ He looked at the card he just drew and then down at the ones already in his hand.

_My Buster Blader! Now’s the perfect time to summon it. I need to wipe out Marik’s life points before his Breeding Machine creates three more monsters._

Yugi was right. ‘And now I’ll sacrifice my two monsters on the field…’ He played the Blader. ‘…to summon this creature! My all-powerful Buster Blader!’ The card appeared on the field and sucked up Gizelle and Beta so that the Blader could be released. ‘My expert swordsman has the power to wipe out your Revival Jam and more than half of your life points.’ The Blader appeared on the field and slung his sword over his shoulder.

‘Your monster’s attack strength is quite impressive, Pharaoh,’ Marik said. ‘But still, useless against my Revival Jam.’

The Pharaoh pointed. ‘We’ll see. Now, my sword-wielding monster, destroy his Revival Jam!’ The Blader shot forward, bringing the blade down on the Revival Jam. It was sliced in half and came apart. ‘Your monster’s been splattered.’

‘Has it?’ As Marik asked that, the Revival Jam came back together and began to reform.

‘What’s happening?’ the Pharaoh demanded. ‘It’s reforming!’

As soon as it finished coming back together, Marik chuckled. ‘You’re surprised? I told you my Revival Jam employed the perfect defence. Even the most powerful sword cannot destroy my plasma monster. It will always reform itself.’

‘So I can’t attack?’

‘You can. It just won’t work.’ Marik laughed. ‘So Revival Jam will protect my life points, while my Breeding Machine continues to create monsters for my ultimate sacrifice.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth in frustration.

_Then I need to find another way to wipe out his life points – and fast._

‘Your duelling days are almost over.’ Marik started mocking him. ‘Soon my Breeding Machine will have created enough monsters to sacrifice. Then comes your worst nightmare: my Egyptian God Card. Here’s the first.’ The mind-slave drew. ‘Activate my Jam Breeding Machine.’ The top of the Machine glowed bright. The first of the Tokens emerged from it. It looked much like the Jam Revival except that it was in the shape of a droplet. ‘Slime Token number one! I’ll also set one card face-down.’ The card appeared on the field in front of him. ‘Only two turns left. Then, you’ll meet your doom!’

‘I may not be able to stop your Breeding Machine but your plan has one tragic flaw, Marik,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘The rules state that you need to sacrifice three Slime Tokens to summon your one Egyptian God Card. But what happens if I destroy them first? You see, your Slime Tokens are defenceless against the superior attack power of my Buster Blader.’ The actual difference was, in fact, 500 to 2600. ‘I can take them out with no resistance and, more importantly, each time Buster Blader destroys one of your Slime Tokens, you’ll lose over two thousand life points because they’re so feeble. So, according to my calculations…’ He held up two fingers. ‘…in two turns, you’ll be defeated.’ He called out the attack. ‘Now, Buster Blader, attack his Slime Token!’ The Blader prepared to attack.

‘Or don’t,’ Marik said. ‘Reveal face-down card.’ One of his cards flipped up. ‘The continuous trap card, Jam Defender.’ The card glowed as it activated.

The Pharaoh gasped as the Blader attacked. That was exactly what it sounded like. The Revival Jam got in the way of the attack, defending the Slime Token. It was destroyed but it would soon reform again.

Yugi’s thoughts got mixed up with the Pharaoh’s. ‘That can’t be! Revival Jam shielded your monster.’

‘Exactly,’ Marik said. ‘And as long as Revival Jam stays in defence mode, the Jam Defender card forces it to absorb all of your attacks, which means every one of your attacks will be blocked.’ The Revival Jam came back together. ‘You see, I knew you’d attack my Slime Tokens and in a desperate attempt to stop me from summoning my Egyptian God Card, so I protected them with the indestructible force.’

The Pharaoh growled and drew back. Not good.

‘The end is near!’ Marik crowed. ‘Now, another beast to sacrifice.’ The mind-slave drew again. The Machine activated again. ‘Meet Slime Token number two.’ The second one appeared next to the first.

Two out of three.

The Pharaoh ground his teeth again. Marik was another step closer to getting that Egyptian God out. If that happened, he didn’t know what he could do. After all, how did one fight something as mighty and powerful as a God? It seemed impossible. ‘I’ve got to stop this.’

‘I’m afraid there’s only one turn left, Pharaoh.’ Marik’s sneer was clear in his voice. ‘Then I’ll summon my Egyptian God Card to destroy you.’ He waved the card in the mind-slave’s hand. ‘But just to be safe…’ He played the card and it appeared on the field. ‘I think I’ll play this magic card, Nightmare Steel Cage.’ The card activated, fire shot out of the ground and an orange bubble formed around the Pharaoh. ‘To make sure you can’t attack me for the next two turns, not that you’ll be around that long.’ The fire bubble soon transformed into a dome-shaped steel cage with sharp spikes lining the outside of the bars. ‘Now all you can do is watch while I summon the most powerful force you’ve ever seen to annihilate you!’

This was not good.


	17. Mime Control Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slifer the Sky Dragon surfaces.

‘It appears you’re out of options, Pharaoh!’ Marik crowed.

The Pharaoh was tense enough as it was.

‘Thank to my Nightmare Steel Cage you can’t attack. And in one more turn you’ll be finished and your Millennium Puzzle will be mine.’

‘Never!’ the Pharaoh snapped. ‘As long as I believe in the Heart of the Cards, you won’t succeed in claiming my Puzzle.’

‘Your misguided faith has completely pathetic when compared to the overwhelming power of my Egyptian God Card. But you’ll see that firsthand in just one more turn when my Breeding Machine produces the third Slime Token, giving me enough monsters to sacrifice! Then I’ll summon my great beast, an ancient creature of unbeatable strength to destroy you.’

***

‘I’m surprised those cards haven’t surfaced yet,’ Kaiba said. He closed the laptop.

Mokuba turned. ‘Me too. But if they had, our satellite system would have picked them up.’

‘Well, then, maybe it’s time for me to go out and find them on my own. My patience is growing thin.’

Mokuba hopped up. ‘Relax. With all these Rare Hunter running around the City, I bet those Egyptian God Cards are right under our noses.’

Kaiba smiled in satisfaction. ‘And once I have all three, I’ll have the most powerful deck in Duel Monsters. I’ll be unbeatable and, once again, I’ll be known as the World’s Greatest Duellist.’ He headed off. ‘Let’s go, Mokuba.’

‘Wait up, Seto!’ Mokuba called and he hauled the briefcase after him.

***

‘History maybe on your side, Pharaoh,’ Marik said. ‘But destiny is on mine as I draw closer to winning your Puzzle.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

‘And, once I possess it, only the final Egyptian God Card will be left to claim. When I do, then I’ll be the Pharaoh. You’re not worthy of the powers that lie hidden within you! So I’ll take them! For as long as I can remember, I was taught to obey the Ancient Scriptures and to help my family protect the Pharaoh’s tomb. Now I realise that your time as Pharaoh has expired and I must take your place. And your Puzzle is the key to your power!'

In his mind, Yugi was feeling a little helpless. _I wish I knew more about what happened in the ancient past. But, for now, I know that I can’t let Marik win._

The Pharaoh drew.

‘You can’t attack.’ Marik felt the need to remind him.

‘I’ll end my turn.’ The Pharaoh added the card to his hand.

Marik sniggered. ‘That’s good, because your time has run out anyway.’ He drew. ‘Breeding Machine, create the third and final Slime Token!’ The Machine activated and the third Token appeared between the other two.

‘This can’t be,’ the Pharaoh said to himself. ‘He succeeded!’

‘Now, I have enough monsters for my ultimate sacrifice,’ Marik announced. ‘Finally, the time has come!’ As he spoke, his predictions came true. ‘The sky shall be shrouded in darkness!’ He laughed in triumph. Lightning flashed, striking the ground, and thunder rumbled, heralding the Egyptian God’s imminent arrival. ‘Prepare to experience an ancient force like no other!’ One lighting bolt came down to Marik’s side of the field. ‘As I sacrifice Jam Breeder and my three Slime Tokens…’ The Machine exploded at the impact, taking the Tokens with it. ‘…in order to summon the beast of your Ultimate Destruction!’ The pieces of the machine stopped in midair and then shot up into the sky in beams of white light. ‘A creature whose power is absolutely limitless!’ A vortex appeared in the clouds. ‘Meet your maker, Pharaoh!

A hot white beam of light, much larger than the others, shot out of the vortex and it the middle of the field. Electricity crackled around it and the heat of it forced the Pharaoh back a step. He raised his arm to protect his face but only for a moment. Still, he watched as the monster took form.

‘The last monster you’ll ever see!’ Marik continued crowing. ‘The Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon!’

***

Shamee watched as Slifer the Sky Dragon descended. It was long and serpentine, with a red back and two mouths full of deadly-sharp teeth. And it was, Shamee knew, the largest Dragon in all of Duel Monsters. But there was just one thing. ‘See, now, that’s just wrong.’

 _I’d call it horrible,_ Sharee said. _But how is it wrong?_

_**I don’t know how I know, but I do know that all three Egyptian Gods are the Pharaoh’s servants and his alone. Calling one of them to fight against him is several kinds of wrong.** _

_If that’s the case, would Slifer really attack his own master?_

_**It’s been five thousand years and all memories of the events have been heavily shrouded. Until Slifer feels the Pharaoh’s touch and realises he’s his master, he won’t recognise him. So, yes, Slifer will attack him in this duel but, if the Pharaoh manages to win, it won’t happen again.** _

***

The Pharaoh stared across at Slifer. Though it was a threat to him, the God Card seemed familiar. He had a feeling he knew precisely how powerful that creature was. If he couldn’t think of its weaknesses fast, he was done for. A fact Marik took great pleasure in reminding him off.

‘You’re finished, Yugi!’ Oh, so now he was also addressing Yugi. ‘Prepare to feel his wrath!’

‘How can I stop it?’ The Pharaoh quickly threw his arms up to protect himself as Slifer roared and sent out a mighty gust of wind. The Pharaoh growled in effort of staying in place.

Marik continued his grandstanding. ‘You’re staring into the face of defeat, Pharaoh. Slifer the Sky Dragon is one of the three most feared creatures in history – the Egyptian God Monsters. They cannot be defeated.’

‘Every monster has a weakness, Marik,’ the Pharaoh stated. ‘And I’ll find yours!’

‘You’re in no position to make threats. You’re trapped in my Nightmare Steel Cage with no way to attack. And you’re face-to-face with an Egyptian God Monster whose attack power is limitless. All you can do is watch it grow stronger.’

What did he just say? ‘Stronger? But how?’

‘Allow me to explain how Slifer works.’ Marik held up the mind-slave’s hand. His demonstration had something to do with the cards. ‘The number of cards I hold in my hand determines what Slifer’s attack power will be. And since I hold two cards it has two thousand attack points.’

‘I’m afraid Slifer is still weaker than my monster,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘But this is just the beginning.’ He took a card from his hand and held it up. ‘All thanks to my magic card.’ Marik played it. ‘I activate Pot of Greed.’ The card appeared on the field and flipped up. ‘This card allows me to two new cards. Greed is good. I lost one card but gained two.’ He held them up. ‘Giving me a total of three cards and Slifer a total of 3000 attack points.’

**Rat Rot.** ‘But in Duel Monsters, there’s a limit to how many cards a player can hold. So Slifer the Sky Dragon has a limit to its strength.’

‘Foolish Pharaoh,’ Marik sneered. ‘Don’t you realise that every rule is made to be broken. I’m afraid any hopes you have of survival are completely in vain, for no one has ever defeated an Egyptian God Card.’

‘Until now!’

‘You’re a fool! Slifer will wipe you out with one single attack. Then I’ll take your Puzzle and send you to a place of eternal darkness: the Shadow Realm! Now, prepare to lose.’ He cackled in his own self-confidence.

_I gotta find a way to bring down Marik’s dragon._ Yugi sighed internally. _My Buster Blader receives 500 attack points for every dragon on the field. So, right now, my monster is stronger than his Sky Dragon. With 3100 attack points, my Swordsman would slay Marik’s Dragon with one swipe of his lance. But as long as I’m in this Cage, I can’t attack and by the time I can attack his monster maybe too strong._ Irritating, but Yugi was right.

‘You see?’ Marik was on gloating now. ‘My Sky Dragon will only get stronger as I draw more cards.’ He chuckled and the Pharaoh growled. ‘When I draw on my next turn, Slifer will have four thousand attack points, more than enough to annihilate your Buster Blader and seriously damage your life points. Then, soon enough, you’ll be out of my way.’

The Pharaoh growled.

‘Your reign is over, Pharaoh!’ Marik boasted. ‘Hand over that Puzzle and accept the inevitable.’ He laughed again, sure as the sun that he was going to win.

‘Never! I’ll trust my deck.’ The Pharaoh drew.

_This card may be able to help, but I’m still trapped for one more turn._

Nethertheless, the Pharaoh added it to his hand.

_If I can hang on until then, maybe I can turn this duel around. I just have to trust the Heart of the Cards._

‘This duel is far from over, Marik,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘How sad.’ Marik mocked him again. ‘You’re finished. Just embrace it. You’ve had your chance to be Pharaoh. Now it’s time for me to take over and rule the world.’ He chuckled again. He did an awful lot of that.

_Not if I can help it, Marik. It’s my destiny to stop you!_ The Pharaoh agreed with Yugi as he pulled a couple of cards from his hand. ‘I’ll place these two cards face-down.’ He set them in the duel disk and the cards appeared of the field. ‘And I summon Kuriboh in defence mode.’ The monster appeared on the field and emerged from its card. ‘Make your move, Marik.’

‘Yes! The moment has now arrived!’ Again, Marik chuckled. ‘Prepare to feel the wrath of an Egyptian God Card.’

The Pharaoh braced himself. Smoke began to raise from the bars around him.

‘The Steel Cage is evaporating,’ Marik said. ‘Leaving you wide open for annihilation.’ Sure enough, the bars slowly vanished until there was nothing left of them or the Cage. ‘You are about to witness an ancient force so mighty it almost destroyed the entire world!’ Marik laughed. ‘You are powerless against Slifer.’ The beast roared. ‘Let’s end this. I draw…’ He did so. ‘…and since Slifer gets one thousand attack points for every card in my hand, now it’s up to 4000.’ The attack points shot up. ‘Enough to incinerate your Buster Blader!’ Slifer roared. ‘And now, my Egyptian God monster, attack!’

With a roar, the attack shot out of Slifer’s bottom mouth. It sailed across the field, heading right for the Buster Blader. The Pharaoh moved. ‘You’ve activated my trap card.’

‘Trap card?’ Marik asked, sounding confused. That guy needed to spend less time grand-standing and pay more attention to his opponent’s moves.

‘My Light Force Sword.’ The Pharaoh flipped up the card in question. ‘This trap card allows me to slash one card out of your hand for the duration of the turn…’ The sword shot out of the Pharaoh’s card and crossed the field to hit one of the cards in the mind-slave’s hand.

‘No!’ Marik yelled.

‘…which lowers your Dragon’s attack points back to 3000,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Making it weaker than my monster.’ The Blader jumped out of the way of the attack. ‘Now, Buster Blader, swing your might sword and slay his Dragon!’ The Blader charged. ‘Your Egyptian God card is defeated.’ Suddenly, the Revival Jam jumped in the way. The Pharaoh flinched back. He hadn’t been expecting that.

‘Not exactly,’ Marik said. ‘You forgot my Jam Defender is still in play, which means my Revival Jam will intercept all your attacks.’ The Revival Jam reformed. The mind-slave took a card from his hand. ‘And, from now on, this magic card will also be in play.’ He set it and the card appeared on the field. ‘Card of Safe Return!’

‘Card of Safe Return?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘Yes,’ Marik said. ‘This rare magic card lets me draw three new cards every time my Jam Defender reforms itself.’ The mind-slave took the cards. ‘This brings the cards in my hand up to five, giving Slifer the Sky Dragon a grand total of 5000 attack points so far.’

‘Five thousand points?’ This was not good. ‘Now what?’

***

Kaiba flew away from Yugi’s friends. He had more important things to deal with than Wheeler right now. Like the fact that their system had finally picked up another one of the Egyptian God cards.

‘More information is coming in,’ his employee reported over the radio. ‘The Egyptian God card was activated in a duel involving Yugi Moto.’

‘Yugi?’ Wouldn’t you know it? ‘I have a plan, Mokuba. That card will be mine.’

***

Marik issued the order. ‘And now, Slifer the Sky Dragon, destroy his Buster Blader!’

Slifer attacked, the blast flying from his mouth. The Buster Blader was destroyed.

‘And take a bite out of his life points.’

The Pharaoh growled as the energy shot over him and his life points dropped down to 2100.

‘Do you surrender yet?’ Marik demanded. ‘You’re finished! Slifer will only get stronger. And, thanks to my Jam Defender, you still can’t attack, Pharaoh. For, if you do, I’ll draw more cards and Slifer will grow even more powerful. Don’t you realise there’s no way you can win? Hand over your Puzzle.’

The Pharaoh just glared at him.

‘Once my Egyptian God card finishes you off, your days as Pharaoh will be over.’

The Pharaoh looked at his hand and, again he had to agree with Yugi’s thought-path. _None of my monsters are strong enough to beat the Sky Dragon, so I’m gonna need the right magic card to do it._ He looked at his deck. _Come on, Heart of the Cards, guide me!_ The Pharaoh’s jaw set in determination. ‘Here I go! Now!’ He drew and looked at the card he now held. ‘Hm.’

_Magic Cylinder. This card could do the trick. But it has to be combined with a magician card to work._ At Yugi’s thought, the Pharaoh looked at his hand. _And I’m in luck, cause I’m holding the Dark Magician Girl._ Although the Pharaoh hated the risk that card, he knew he needed to. _Perfect._

‘All right.’ The Pharaoh shifted. ‘I sacrifice Kuriboh…’ A vortex appeared around the monster in question to he disappeared. ‘…to summon my Dark Magician Girl…’ The card appeared on the field and the Dark Magician Girl emerged from it with a twirl and the need to push her hat back as it fell over her face. ‘…in defence mode!’

‘By summoning a new monster to the field, you’ve activated my Dragon’s special ability!’

_**Rat rot!**_ ‘Oh, no!’ The Dark Magician Girl drew back.

Slifer’s top mouth opened and energy began to build up. ‘Its second mouth!’ Marik laughed in malicious glee.

‘Slifer is full of surprises.’ But the Pharaoh had been prepared for something when he summoned her. Something had tugged at the back of his consciousness.

‘Even if it’s your turn, Slifer will automatically attack every monster you summon with its second set of jaws, wiping out 2000 points from whichever mode your monster is in.’ Sure enough, the Sky Dragon was powering up an attack and aiming right at the Dark Magician Girl. ‘So say goodbye to your Dark Magician Girl.’

‘Oh, no. She only has one thousand, seven hundred defence points.’

‘Slifer, attack!’ Marik ordered. The blast sailed down out of his second mouth and headed right for the Dark Magician Girl.

‘It’s time for me to save my Dark Magician Girl,’ the Pharaoh said.

Marik began his grand-standing again. ‘It’s too late! Observe.’

The Pharaoh activated his card. ‘Why don’t you observe?’

‘It really is a pity that your Magician had to leave us so soon.’ Marik still hadn’t realised.

‘Who said she’s gone?’ the Pharaoh asked.

‘I did!’ Marik snapped.

‘Guess again.’ The smoke cleared, revealing what card he’d played. ‘I activated Magical Hats just in time.’

‘So she’s hiding inside of one of those hats?’ Marik demanded.

‘Not just hiding,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘She’s inside, preparing to launch a counterattack.’

‘Pharaoh, your monster’s not strong enough. Not to defeat Slifer!’ Marik laughed at him again. It was beyond tiresome by now.

‘It’s true that your Dragon is powerful, Marik, but I have faith.’ The Pharaoh raised the two cards in his hand and played them. ‘And so I place two cards face-down…’ The appeared on the field and the Hats danced over them, hiding them from view and confusing which held them. ‘…beneath my Magical Hats.’

‘Your Hats merely provide you with a temporary hiding place…’ The mind-slave drew. ‘…and in the meantime, Pharaoh, I’ll play my own magic card. And it will make my Dragon’s power infinite! You see, Infinite Cards lets me exceed the six-card limit and hold as many cards as I wish in my hand.’ He played the card.

Fear churned its way through his gut as he did the math. ‘No, that can’t be!’

Marik’s smirk could nearly be heard. ‘Since Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand, now there’s no limit to my monster’s power.’ He called out the attack. ‘Slifer, unleash you Thunder Force on the right-hand Hat!’ The Dragon attacked, releasing his blast on the Hat in question.

The Pharaoh tensed. ‘You made a lucky guess, Marik.’

‘You couldn’t hide her forever.’

‘This duel’s not over!’ the Pharaoh stated. The Hat was destroyed, but…

‘It may as well be!’ Marik gloated. ‘Your monster is destroyed.’ But then he saw the truth. ‘What’s this?’ The Dark Magician Girl was still there, between the Magic Cylinders. Slifer’s attack was being sucked into one, leaving his target unharmed. ‘She’s absorbing my attack!’

The Pharaoh clenched his fist. ‘That’s right, Marik. It seems you had forgotten, I also hid two trap cards under that Hat.’ He pointed as the effects took. ‘Magic Cylinder and my Spell-Binding Circle!’ The Circle clamped around Slifer. ‘So I’ll weaken your Sky Dragon’s power and then redirect his own Thunder Force attack right back at him.’ As he said this, the Dark Magician Girl was doing it. ‘Fire!’ The blast crossed back to where it came from. ‘Say goodbye, Marik.’

‘Never. You can’t attack me with my Revival Jam in play.’ As he said that, the Revival Jam intercepted the attack and was blown apart. It began reforming again.

‘So your plasma monster can even block redirected attacks?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘That’s exactly right, Pharaoh.’ He drew. ‘Then it regenerates unharmed, which also means I can draw three new cards. So my Sky Dragon grows even stronger!’ It’s attack points shot up. ‘Plus I’ll draw again, giving it a total of over 8000 attack points.’

The Pharaoh stared in horror. ‘That Egyptian God is unstoppable!’

***

‘Precisely, and since your Spell-Binding Circle card has expired Slifer gains back more attack points, giving it 9000.’

Shamee ground her teeth. The Pharaoh was in very deep trouble. She knew that the Sky Dragon belonged to him, as did the other two. All the same they didn’t know that – not yet. They didn’t realise the one they would be attacking – were, in Slifer’s case – was their true master.

Of course, the only way they’d know was if the Pharaoh held the card. Then they’d feel the touch of their master and then obey only him. But the only way that’d happen would be if he won and the Pharaoh couldn’t attack. No…but maybe…the idea came into her head slowly.

Shamee’s attention was suddenly diverted. She turned her head. ‘Get stuck in traffic?’

***

‘Now, Slifer, demolish his Dark Magician Girl!’

The Pharaoh watched in horror as the blast shot out of Slifer’s mouth. He could defend his Dark Magician Girl with nothing. The Hats were gone and he didn’t have the Mystic Box. The blast hit and she was obliterated. The Pharaoh’s bangs were blown back a bit but he barely noticed.

Marik began gloating again. ‘Behold, the ultimate five-card combination that makes me completely indestructible. When these five almighty cards are played together, they complete a strategy that cannot be defeated. My Egyptian God card will continue to grow stronger! And your attacks are completely useless.’

Sharp pain stung the Pharaoh’s mind. He couldn’t think of a way out of this. He fell to his knees. ‘Oh, no.’ He fell to his hands, mind racing. ‘I can’t let Marik win my Puzzle.’ But he couldn’t work out how to get out of this.

‘Get on your feet, Yugi!’ Kaiba’s voice cut through his thoughts.

‘Huh?’ The Pharaoh looked up. ‘Kaiba?’

Seto and Mokuba Kaiba were standing up on the barrier with Shamee, except the elder was standing away from her.

‘Since when do you bow to your rivals?’ Kaiba demanded.

Shamee was giving him a funny look. He could see why too. Kaiba called this bowing? He’d obviously never actually seen someone actually bow. But the point still stood. The Pharaoh scowled.

‘Never.’

‘Then get up and stop embarrassing yourself, so you can defeat this nobody and relieve him of his Egyptian God card. And do it now!’

The Pharaoh looked back at his cards.

‘Don’t let this punk win. You can take down Slifer the Sky Dragon. Just find out its weakness. Unless, of course, you’ve lost your touch. If you still have what it takes, then get up and prove it to me now!’

Kaiba probably wanted it for himself but…


	18. Mime Control Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to take Slifer down.

‘Yugi, prove that you’re worthy of your reputation and take down this Egyptian God card. Unless…you don’t have what it takes. Maybe your Duellist Kingdom Championship victory was just a fluke.’

The Pharaoh had no doubt that Kaiba wanted him to win so he would get the card. Then Kaiba would try to win it off of him. All the same, he was right. This was no time to drop to his knees and give up.   
The pain in the Pharaoh’s mind began to fade away as his resolve returned.

The Pharaoh stood up. ‘I will defeat him, Kaiba. I assure you.’ He then called to his distant opponent. ‘Marik, it’s over!’

‘Ha!’ Marik scoffed. ‘My Egyptian God Card is unstoppable.’ He had his mind-slave look up at Kaiba. ‘Ah, and you’re my next victim, Kaiba.’ He chuckled. ‘Once Slifer the Sky Dragon annihilates Yugi, I’m coming after your Egyptian God Card.’

But Kaiba has always been hard to intimidate. ‘Save your breath. Your empty threats don’t scare me.’

‘They will in time, fool!’

The Pharaoh called his opponent’s attention back to himself. ‘This duel isn’t over yet, Marik.’ He looked at the cards in his hand.

_I’ve got to figure out a way to defeat his Egyptian God Card. But it has ten thousand attack points. None of my monsters even come close to that._

The Pharaoh looked back up at Slifer.

_Plus it grows stronger with every card he draws. It must have some weakness, and I’ll find it!_

‘I draw.’ The Pharaoh did so. He looked at the card in his hand.

_Hm. Monster Reborn could come in handy._

The Pharaoh set it on the field. ‘I place one card face-down.’ He held up his next card. ‘And I summon Big Shield Gardna in defence mode.’ He set that and both cards were on the field. The Gardna emerged from his card, crouched behind his large shield.

‘Don’t tell me that you’ve forgotten that by summoning a monster, you activate my Dragon’s special ability?’ Marik asked. Slifer was already beginning to attack. ‘Let me remind you…by blasting your monster!’

The Pharaoh as the blast came down, grinding his teeth. No, he hadn’t forgotten. But the Gardna had over the number of loss so he’d still be there. It would last the Pharaoh out the turn.

‘This surge of energy from my Dragon’s second mouth will drain your Big Shield Gardna of 2000 defence points.’

The smoke cleared and the Gardna’s defence points dropped down to 600.

‘Your Big Shield has been cut down to size.’ Marik gloated. ‘And my Egyptian God Card will continue to automatically devastate your monsters as soon as they’re summoned to the field.’ He laughed. ‘Just one more attack and your only defence will be demolished, leaving nothing in between you and Slifer. Where’s your faith in the cards now, Pharaoh?’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth and braced himself for the next attack.

The mind-slave drew. ‘Now, observe…while I draw!’ He added the card to his hand. ‘And, as you know, Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand. I count eleven, giving my Dragon 11000 attack points.’ He laughed as Slifer’s attack points shot up.

***

‘Wow! 11000 points?’ Mokuba demanded. ‘That’s already more than three times the attack strength of your Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Seto.’

‘And it’ll only get stronger,’ Kaiba said. ‘Yugi’s opponent has Infinite Cards in play, allowing him to hold as many cards as he wants.’

Mokuba looked up at his brother, alarmed. ‘Oh, and the more cards in his hand the more attack points his Dragon has. That means there’s no limit to how strong his Egyptian God Card can grow.’

Kaiba suddenly looked thoughtful. Shamee was getting sick of this, she huffed. Both of the Kaiba brothers looked at her. She turned and, deciding against having to explain a five thousand year old story to them, called down to the Pharaoh.

‘Yugi, I just had a thought!’

‘Hm?’ He looked up at her.

‘Maybe, to win, you don’t have to attack!’

There was a moment and then the Pharaoh’s eyes widened. His gaze snapped back to Marik’s side of the field and pure calculation was written across his features. Then his eyes snapped down to the cards in his hand. His expression tightened for a moment and then he looked at his deck.

‘Huh?’ Mokuba asked. ‘What do you mean?’

Shamee smirked. ‘Provided he can get the right card out of the deck, you’ll see shortly.’

***

Marik laughed. ‘Now, my Sky Dragon, attack!’ He called the order and Slifer released the attack. ‘Eradicate his Shield, the only thing that stands in the way of his destruction. Soon that Puzzle, and the world, will be mine!’

The Pharaoh jammed his eyes shut as the Gardna was destroyed. He lifted his head and looked at Marik through his mind-slave. Shamee was right, but it would take one more crucial card to win this duel.

Marik was either unaware of his own flaw, or thought it was beyond anyone’s capabilities. ‘You’re completely defenceless, Pharaoh. The next time my Sky Dragon attacks, you’ll be finished. It’s undefeatable, you fool!’

The Pharaoh smirked. ‘And that is why I will make Slifer destroy itself.’

‘What makes you think you can?’

‘Ah, it’s a simple matter of common sense. If all of my monsters are too weak, then I must use your monster to destroy itself!’

‘Haven’t you realised yet that an Egyptian God Card cannot be controlled?’ It looked like Marik simply didn’t know about his own weakness. ‘It’s much too powerful, Pharaoh!’

‘We’ll see.’

‘Huh?’ The mind-slave drew back. It was a safe bet Marik did as well.

‘Perhaps you don’t have as much knowledge about the Egyptian God Cards as you think you do.’

‘How dare you challenge my wisdom of the ancient ways!’ Marik yelled. ‘I know all!’

‘We’ll find out how much you know soon enough, Marik.’

‘I’d like to see you try to turn Slifer against me.’ Marik seemed to have calmed himself down. ‘Time for you to make your move. I promise it will be your last.’ He chuckled, ignorant to what was about to happen.

‘Is that so?’ The Pharaoh reached for his deck. ‘We’ll see, Marik.’ _If I don’t draw the right card now, his Sky Dragon will crush me. But I know the Heart of the Cards will guide me._ With Yugi’s thought ringing in his head, the Pharaoh drew. ‘Now!’ He looked at the card in his hand. ‘Perfect!’ He raised the card up.

‘Well?’ Marik demanded. ‘What is it?’

The Pharaoh smirked. ‘Just what I need to take you down. Time to lose.’ He hit a button on his Duel Disk. ‘I reveal my face-down card.’ It flipped up. ‘Monster Reborn!’

‘What good will that do?’ Marik asked.

‘This magic card allows me to bring back one monster from the graveyard,’ the Pharaoh said. The card began to glow, activating. ‘And I choose to resurrect my mighty Buster Blader! Return!’ The Buster Blader emerged and stood on the field.

‘What?’ Marik asked. ‘My Dragon’s already destroyed that monster once. Plus, summoning to defend your life points will only delay your ultimate defeat.’

‘It’s not defending,’ the Pharaoh calmly pointed out. ‘Take a closer look, Marik. Buster Blader has been summoned in attack mode!’ He waited for Marik to absorb it. ‘I know I can’t win by just defending my life points.’ He lifted his cards. ‘That’s why I’m risking this entire duel on one final sword attack by Buster Blader.’

‘You’re more of a fool than I thought.’ Marik chuckled. ‘You’ve left yourself wide open for my Egyptian God Card to defeat you. Have you forgotten about my five-card combination that make Slifer the Sky Dragon completely indestructible? Perhaps you need a reminder, Pharaoh. First, my Card of Safe Return allows me to draw three cards whenever a monster is revived. Since you resurrected Buster Blader I can now draw three more cards from my deck to increase the number of cards in my hand.’

The Pharaoh wondered if Marik knew anything about thinking outside the box. ‘Yes, and the more cards you hold the stronger your Dragon becomes.’

‘Right. So Slifer gains 3000 additional attack points…’ The mind-slave drew. ‘…giving it a total of 14000 attack points!’ The points went up and Marik laughed again. He wouldn’t be soon. ‘And then, you forgot that bringing Buster Blader back from the graveyard activates Slifer’s second mouth.’ Slifer began its attack, firing at the Blader again. ‘Blasting 2000 attack points away from your monster.’ Just that happened.

‘Buster Blader’s strong enough to survive your attack,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘This is the beginning of the end for you, Pharaoh.’ Marik mocked him again. ‘My Egyptian God Card has weakened your monster into the pathetic mess barely standing before you. My next attack will finish you off forever!’

The Pharaoh just watched him grandstand.

‘Your Buster Blader may have survived that blast,’ Marik said, ‘But it’s still no match for my Egyptian God Card. Your reign as Pharaoh is almost over, so prepare to surrender your Puzzle. In my next turn, your monster and your life points will be completely wiped out.’

No, they won’t. ‘I’m afraid that there isn’t going to be a next turn for you. Once Buster Blader attacks your Egyptian God Card, you’ll be defeated, Marik. Now, watch as my plan to slay your so-called indestructible Dragon begins. Time for me to win this duel right now.’

‘I’m ready for your pathetic attack,’ Marik said.

‘Buster Blader, attack Slifer the Sky Dragon with your powerful blade!’ The Pharaoh gave the order.

‘Watching your puny warrior try to take down my unstoppable Egyptian God Card is actually quite amusing,’ Marik said.

The Buster Blader charged forward.

‘Have you forgotten that my Sky Dragon is protected by my ultimate defender, the shape-shifting Revival Jam?’

No, he hadn’t. The Pharaoh calmly watched as the plasma creature shot forward and absorbed the blade strike.

‘Your attack’s been blocked and my Revival Jam will reform itself,’ Marik said. ‘After that, I can draw yet another three cards and Slifer’s power will grow even greater, preparing itself to destroy you once and for all with a force more intense than anything you’ve ever seen!’

The Pharaoh closed his eyes and smirked. ‘I’m afraid that it’s still my turn, but before I make my next move I need Revival Jam to revive.’ He opened his eyes. ‘Observe.’ Revival Jam came back together and reformed. ‘And now the stage is set for this card.’ The Pharaoh pulled it out of his hand and played it. ‘Magic card, Brain Control! Now I’ll control your monster.’ The card appeared on the field and flipped up. It glowed as it activated.

Marik chuckled. ‘It’s not quite that simple. Sorry, Pharaoh, I’m afraid all magic cards are completely ineffective against Egyptian God Monsters.’

The Pharaoh just watched him. Marik had assumed exactly what he’d intended.

‘And now you’ll pay the price for making such a fooling mistake.’ Slifer rose up and roared.

The Pharaoh smirked. ‘Don’t be so sure. Who told you I was after your Dragon?’

‘You’re not?’ Marik demanded.

‘No, Marik. There’s another monster on your field I’m after,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘And, I’ll control him. My Brain Control card will seize your Revival Jam!’ The Revival Jam came apart, crossed the field and reformed directly in front of his Brain Control card.

‘What can you possibly do with my Revival Jam card?’ Marik asked in genuine confusion. Yes, he’d been completely unaware of his weakness. ‘It can’t hurt my Dragon, so it’s of no use to you.’  
This was highly amusing. ‘You still don’t get it. Since Revival Jam reformed, draw your three new cards, Marik.’

‘I will,’ Marik said. ‘Which raises my Egyptian God Card another three thousand attack points. With every card I draw, my monster will get even stronger!’ He took the three new cards from the deck. ‘One, two, three. That brings Slifer’s attack points to 17000.’ The points went up. ‘And now, Pharaoh, the time for me to destroy you has finally arrived. Slifer, wipe out his Buster Blader and his life points!’

The Pharaoh raised his hand. ‘Hold on, Marik!’ He smirked. ‘Your Sky Dragon’s special ability means its second mouth means that it has to attack any new monster that appears on my side of the field.’

Marik gasped, finally understanding. Sure enough, Slifer’s second mouth was open and it was attacking the Revival Jam. That’d worked much easier than he’d been hoping. And now there was nothing Marik could do to stop the cycle that was about to begin.

The Pharaoh watched in full satisfaction. ‘That means before you can destroy me, your monster must attack my Revival Jam.’ The blast sailed out of Slifer’s mouth and at the Revival Jam. It was destroyed. ‘You know what happens now.’

‘Revival Jam revives itself again.’

The monster came back together.

‘And each time a monster regenerates, you have to draw three more cards from your duelling deck,’ the Pharaoh said.

The mind-slave drew the cards. Because there was a new monster on the field again, Slifer automatically attacked the Revival Jam again. It was destroyed and it reformed. The mind-slave drew three new cards. It happened over and over again in a never-ending cycle. The deck Marik had assembled for this duel got smaller and smaller and more and more cards were added to his victim’s hand. The Pharaoh watched this go on and on until his opponent realised how badly his plot had backfired.

Marik yelled. ‘There’s no way out!’

‘That’s right, Marik,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Once you run out of cards to draw, you will automatically lose this duel.’

‘No!’ The mind-slave dropped all the cards in his hand. ‘This can’t be happening!’ The cards hit the ground.

‘As powerful as your Egyptian God Card is, no monster is without weakness,’ the Pharaoh stated. ‘And the Sky Dragon’s flaw lies within its special ability: its second mouth attack!’

The deck slot was empty. ‘No!’ Marik yelled again.

‘I turned your Dragon against you,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Causing you to use up all the cards in your duelling deck.’

‘No!’ Marik growled it this time. The mind-slave fell to his knees and dropped the rest of the cards.

‘That means I win,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘It’s over!’

‘It can’t be!’ Marik yelled. ‘How could I lose with an Egyptian God Card in my deck? You’ll pay, Pharaoh.’ The Sky Dragon began to smoke as it was destroyed. ‘You may have defeated Slifer, but I hold another Egyptian God Card – a much more powerful one!’ Slifer fell to the ground with a thud and disappeared. ‘So savour this victory while you can, for it will be your last!’

The Pharaoh watched the mind-slave as he was released. He just stayed there, though. Turning his head, the Pharaoh noticed both Mokuba and Shamee sliding down the barrier to where he was. Mokuba was fast and less coordinated than his Right-Hand. He headed over to the cards while Shamee came over to the Pharaoh’s side.

‘Hand over your Egyptian God Card to Yugi. Tournament rules.’ He didn’t respond. ‘Come on, snap out of it. I mean, no one likes to lose but rules are rules you know.’

‘I don’t think he’s conscious,’ Shamee called.

Mokuba looked over and nodded. Then he knelt down and picked up the God Card and a locator card. ‘As commissioner of the Battle City Tournament, I have to hand this card over to you, Yugi. And that’s not all.’ He walked over and handed the card to the Pharaoh, along with the locator card. When he took them, Mokuba grinned. ‘Just don’t get too attached, cause my brother’s got his eye on that Dragon too.’

‘Aware of it.’ Shamee chuckled and came over to take a look. ‘But I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait, Kaiba.’ She turned her head.

The Pharaoh looked over and saw Kaiba was coming over – and he was wearing his duel disk.

‘And why is that?’ Kaiba asked, scowling at her.

Shamee grinned. ‘Aw, stop being a drama queen, Kaiba. Both of you are too good of duellists to hash this out so soon.’ She held up her finger. ‘Wait for the finals.’ Folding her arms across her chest, she went on. ‘Besides, I knew the God Cards were the whole reason you organised this tournament in the first place.’

Kaiba studied her for a moment. ‘That crazy woman in the museum. I see. Your father is an archaeologist so he works in the Domino Museum. You would have met her.’

‘I met her two years ago,’ Shamee said. ‘And I wouldn’t go about calling her crazy. She knows precisely what she’s doing. Look just because you don’t believe what you saw on those stone tablets doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.’

‘Those rocks were fake,’ Kaiba stated.

‘No.’ Shamee shook her head. ‘My father’s examined them carefully. They’re as real as this city. You have two other options. Either it’s a cosmic coincidence, that you and Yugi happen to look exactly like those figures, or there’s an inexplicable connection between the here and now and 3000BC Egypt.’

‘Those are my options?’ Kaiba asked.

Shamee nodded once. ‘Those are your options.’

The Pharaoh watched this with…some amusement. He knew Shamee had merely put the situation in a light wherein Kaiba could easily understand it. Since he was unwilling to admit that this all had a magical reasoning, she gave him those options. Kaiba knew two things for certain in this. One: Dennis Pertinicle was the top of his field. He was the top expert in Egyptology for this time. Two: Sharee preferred being brutally honest over lying to make a situation easier.

‘Then I call it a coincidence,’ Kaiba said.

‘I thought you would.’ Shamee paused to scratch her shoulder. ‘Now, on to the next part. I know how bad you want all three Egyptian God Cards, Kaiba, but your ego will just have to wait.’

‘What do you mean?’ Kaiba asked, glaring at her.

There was suddenly laughter from Strings and he rose again. ‘Silly fools.’ Clearly, Marik had control of him again. The Pharaoh, Shamee, Kaiba and Mokuba all turned their attention to him. Mokuba even jumped away from him.

‘That,’ Shamee said.

‘I’ve had enough of your mind tricks, Marik!’ the Pharaoh snapped. ‘It’s time for you to show yourself.’

‘Not to worry, Pharaoh. You’ll meet me sooner than you think. I’m on my way to Battle City as we speak. Once I’m there, the next phase of my plan begins. I assure you the power of the Pharaoh will be mine! My loyal mind servants are preparing for my arrival right now.’

‘Where are they, Marik?’ The Pharaoh wouldn’t call them loyal or servants. He’d call them brainwashed and slaves. From the look of Shamee’s posture, she completely agreed with him.

‘I have Rare Hunters everywhere in Battle City,’ Marik said. ‘And I can see all! I see the Millennium Puzzle that will be mine, I see a defenceless city waiting to be conquered and I see potential mind-slaves in every crowd. I’m always searching for new servants to add to my army of Rare Hunters. I wonder who’ll be next.’

Worry began to churn its way in the Pharaoh’s gut.

‘So, tell me, Pharaoh, which of your friends would make the best mind-slaves?’

That was what he was afraid of.

‘Um…’ Shamee gave Strings an odd look. ‘None.’

Marik went on like she never spoke. ‘Tea? Joey, perhaps? Or maybe your Right-Hand there?’

‘You leave them alone!’ the Pharaoh ordered. ‘Understand? I’m warning you!’

‘Well, it appears I’ve hit your sensitive spot, haven’t I, Pharaoh? Perhaps I could use your friends to get what I want from you. Namely, your Puzzle and the Egyptian God Card you’ve won.’

‘I told you, leave my friends out of this!’ The Pharaoh knew he didn’t have to worry about Sharee or Shamee, but all the others were fully vulnerable.

‘Or else you’ll what?’ Marik mocked him. ‘Your friends are meaningless to me, besides I have nothing to lose and whole world to gain.’ He laughed again.

The Pharaoh growled. ‘Do not test me! If any harm befalls my friends you will regret it, Marik. They did nothing to you, so you settle your score with me!’

Instead of answering, Marik made a statement. ‘Just as my Dragon’s one weakness destroyed it, your loyalty to your friends will soon destroy you.’ This time Marik really let go of his mind-slave and the poor guy fell face-first to the ground.

Shamee looked at him. ‘I think I remember which way there were going when I left them.’

‘Good,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Go there. I’ll look around the duelling areas.’ They both turned to go.

‘Just a minute, Yugi,’ Kaiba called.

They stopped and looked back at him. They both knew what he wanted anyway. Shamee rolled her eyes and stepped towards him, glaring. ‘Is this about your stupid ego again?’

‘No, this is about a duel,’ Kaiba said.

‘Same thing.’ Shamee face-palmed. ‘Okay, Kaiba, let me put this into perspective for you. Marik not only wants Yugi’s Millennium Puzzle, but also the three God Cards. He has one, Yugi now has another and you have the third. He has just made it clear that he would willingly and maliciously attack our friends and family to get them. That includes Mokuba, you know. After all, he’s the one you care most about.’

‘He wouldn’t dare,’ Kaiba said.

‘Kaiba, this guy is not of sound mind,’ Shamee said. ‘Never say “he wouldn’t dare”.’

That was right. The Pharaoh turned to his Right-Hand. ‘Sharee, our friends are in great danger and they’re completely unaware of it. We must find them.’

Shamee nodded. ‘Let’s go.’

The Pharaoh ran one way and Shamee ran the other, back the way she came.


	19. Family Affair Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marik thinks targeting the families of the heroes is going to help him.
> 
> He really ought to do his homework first - at least in this instance.

A boat sat in the harbour, hidden from view. On the deck, there was a pale-haired Egyptian boy. He had decked himself in gold, like his ancestors may have worn many thousands of years ago, and he held in his hand one of the seven Millennium Items. Behind him, another Egyptian knelt, as if bowing.

‘Odion,’ the boy addressed the man behind him. ‘What have you been able to find out about Sharee Pertinicle’s family?’

‘They have been involved in archaeology for six generations now, Master Marik, approaching seven,’ Odion said. ‘Each generation has been the top of the field for its time. They also have a long history of expeditions, of which they later spoke nothing.’

‘What are their defences like?’ Marik asked.

‘Average. We have located each of the immediate family members of Sharee Pertinicle. As you know, her father works at the Domino Museum and she herself attends Domino High School. The other half of her family live in America. Her mother runs their local branch of the National Museum and her sister attends the private boarding school called Trinity College. They do not seem to fear attack.’

‘Indeed?’ Marik raised his Millennium Rod. ‘Then that is something they will soon regret. Give the order, Odion.’

 

**New Haven, CT, USA**  
A woman walked through an office, flicking through papers. She had long red hair that was bound behind her head in a tight bun and she wore a business suit to look as professional as possible. A pair of expensive black-rimmed glasses sat on her nose and her blue eyes flicked over the pages she was reading. A pen was in her other hand, writing down calculations as needed. This was normal for her end-of-day routine, even though the museum closed three hours ago.

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly prickled. Setting down her pen the woman lifted her head. She took off her glasses and calmly set them down on the desk in front of her. Cocking her head, she listened. A moment later, her office door opened and three cloaked men came in.

The woman frowned and stood up. ‘May I help you, gentlemen?’

The men moved forward without a word, surrounding the woman. She watched calmly, but she knew exactly what they were: Rare Hunters. It looked like that boy had to learn the hard way. One of the Rare Hunters reached for her but the woman ducked. It was unavoidable that she had to duck in the direction of one of the others, so she merely drove her elbow back as she moved. She added force to the blow by grabbing the fist on the end of that arm with her other hand. The elbow sailed deep into the soft flesh of that man’s belly and he yelled out in pain.

Twisting around, the woman grabbed the collar of the cloak her target wore. Spinning around, she rolled him over her shoulder and threw him into his friend. Both men hit the wall with a loud thud. The woman worried she’d have a dent there, but she spun and ducked as the third man tried to grab her. The woman simply threw her fist into his face. He hit the ground like a rock.

The woman straightened up and looked at all three men. They were out cold. She’d have to make a phone call but first thing was first. Checking her hair with the other hand, the woman hit the intercom button on her desk.

_‘Yes, Mrs. Pertinicle?’_

Noel Pertinicle smirked. ‘Security report to my office.’

 

**Trinity College**  
There was one school rule Shauna Pertinicle hated above all else. No student was permitted to walk across the school grounds out of uniform. It wasn’t that she hated the uniform. Actually, the dark blue knee-length skirt and matching blazer – along with the customary white shirt, socks and black shoes – were positively attractive compared to what she’d seen in some school uniforms.

_Like…I don’t know, Domino High School._

The fact of it was that it was eight o’clock in the evening! Who was going to be passing a school this far out in the country at that time of the day? Besides, all she wanted to do was return these books to the school library. But she didn’t want to be confined to her room again. After all, the curfew wasn’t until ten.

Shauna smirked to herself as she thought of it. Usually, she shared her room with her sister but their father had called in at the start of this year and told them Sharee was going on “exchange”. After all, whatever the Pharaoh and Shamee needed to do was more important than what school Sharee happened to be going to. They had been waiting five thousand years to get compatible vessels so…

Shauna suddenly heard something and stopped. She listened again. Only a few feet away from the school library and Shauna pinpointed the source. She huffed it agitation. Idiot. Shauna counted backwards in her head. Three, two, one.

Dropping her books, Shauna ducked under the grab. Swinging around and kicking her feet out, her suspicions were confirmed. The Rare Hunter hit the ground with a yell as she knocked his feet out from under him. Blue eyes flickering around on instinct, Shauna saw two others, rushing to help their fallen forced comrade.

Shauna flipped between the two charging at her and stopped just behind them. They also stopped, right in arms length. With a smirk, Shauna smacked her fists back. Both of the Rare Hunters flew into the ground, each emitting a grunt-like sound as their faces hit the dirt. Neither got up again. She’d hit right where she was aiming – on both.

The back of the skull was not designed for impact.

‘Y…you dirty little…’

Shauna turned around. The first of the Rare Hunters was slowly staggering to his feet. He was glaring at her so much, she was half surprised that someone’s skin didn’t peel off. With a primal yell, he charged at her. Shauna waited until he got close enough and then jumped to the side. The grabbed his cloak and changed his course, sending him slamming face first into the wall of the library.

‘Pertinicle!’

It was only the fact that the new voice was panicked that made Shauna aware of who it was, basically. She turned her head and saw some of the teachers charging across the school grounds. From the looks of her, she’d heard something and looked out the window to see one of the students being attacked. Shauna patiently waited for her to get over to her.

‘What happened?’ she demanded.

Shauna saw there were more teachers running towards them. ‘Obviously I was attacked and I defended myself.’ She walked over and picked up the books, dusting them off. ‘I only came out here to return these anyway.’

One of the male teachers got to them, and slowed to a stop, in time to hear that. ‘Well, then, may I suggest you do just that? When you come out, someone will escort you back to your dorm.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Shauna continued on her way. She knew, after something like this, new restrictions would be put in place. The police would be called as well, but it’d take them an hour to get to the school, at best. Not that they could really do anything. The “ringleader” was in Japan. But there wasn’t much to think on that.

In the meantime, Shauna had to make a phone call.

 

**Domino City, Japan**  
Dennis was expecting it.

As he worked in the artefact room, he had a mirror sitting in front of him. It was angled so that he could see behind him. The stone tablet in front of him was fascinating but he was also keeping an ear out. Sure enough, when the door to the artefact room opened and he looked up he saw two Rare Hunters trying to sneak up behind him.

Dennis waited patiently. When the came within arms length, and one of them reached for his collar, he moved. Spinning around fast and springing to his feet, Dennis snatched their collars and slammed their heads together. Both men fell to the ground with loud grunts but they didn’t lose consciousness. They didn’t need to.

The door opened again and Ishizu came in with two security guards. They grabbed one Rare Hunter each and hauled them to their feet. But Dennis wasn’t quite done. He grabbed a fistful of hair of one of the Rare Hunters.

‘Marik,’ he said. ‘I don’t doubt you’re watching this. Your sister warned me you were about to try this little stunt, kid. Maybe next time you attack someone, you’ll do well to learn a little about them first!’

 

**Battle City**  
Shamee cursed as she ran through the City. She couldn’t find their friends anywhere. If she didn’t track them down soon – her or the Pharaoh – then Marik would get them. She knew she and her host were in no danger from him, but the others were. They had nothing to protect themselves.

_Of course, they could._

Shamee’s lips twitched at that. Sharee was right. Shamee had nearly forgotten about the other thing the Pertinicles had from her lifetime. She didn’t remember it, but she sure knew what it did. Shamee wondered if Marik was even aware of its existence. She’d laugh if he wasn’t.

Shamee slowed to a stop as her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID before answering it. ‘Shauna?’

_‘From the voice, I’d say I’m talking to Shamee?’_ Shauna said.

‘Yes, you are. Why? Did you want to talk to your sister?’

_‘It doesn’t matter who I talk to. I was just attacked by Rare Hunters.’_

‘You were?’ Shamee looked in the shop window to her left. In the window, she could see the reflections of three Rare Hunters moving towards her. They were going slow in a clear attempt to not draw attention to themselves. It might’ve helped if they weren’t wearing those cloaks, or the street was more crowded.

_‘Yeah, I’m about to call mom. I thought you’d want to know too. It looks like Marik’s handiwork.’_

‘Of course,’ Shamee said. ‘Thank you.’ She hung up.

_Ooh, Shamee!_

_**Yes?** _

_Let me. Please?_

Shamee internally chuckled. _**All right.**_ They switched.

***

Sharee spun around and ducked as one of the Rare Hunters grabbed at her. Another one dived at her and she back-flipped, kicking him right in the jaw and sending him flying. He hit the ground with a grunt and didn’t get back up. She spun around to face the other two.

‘Come on, boys.’ Sharee leaned forward. ‘One little girl shouldn’t be too much trouble now, should she?’

The two of them looked at each other and then charged her together. Sharee timed herself, then ducked and swung her legs around. Both of them were swept clean off of their feet and hit the ground.   
One of them didn’t get up again but as Sharee hopped up, the third one started pushing himself up.

‘Get down!’ Sharee kicked him in the behind and sent him into a street light. He dropped to the ground. She knew all of them were just unconscious. It looked like Marik really had no idea. He’d decided to attack her family first before her friends. But that concerned Sharee. She pulled out her phone and dialled as she began walking again.

It was answered on the second ring. _‘Peabody Museum of Natural History.’_

‘Mom, it’s Sharee.’

_‘Oh, honey. Are you all right?’_

‘I was going to ask you the same thing,’ Sharee said. ‘Marik sent Rare Hunters to attack me and Shauna both. We both put them in the ground, though. I was wondering about you.’

_‘Yes, I just knocked down three of them. I expect I’ll get a call from the College tomorrow. You weren’t hurt?’_

‘No, no. Marik’s taken away their free will and he’s got an amazingly big head. I doubt he expected any of us to fight back.’ Sharee paused. ‘Hm…I better call dad and check with him.’

_‘I already did. He was attacked too but Ishizu told him it was going to happen. I don’t think Marik knew anything about the family reputation.’_

‘No, he wouldn’t have even thought of it.’ Sharee rolled her eyes. ‘This is a guy that thinks he can be Pharaoh by stealing the power within the Puzzle.’

Noel paused. _‘Um…he does realise that if someone who isn’t Yugi Moto tries to take or use that Puzzle they will die slowly and painfully, right?’_

‘Studying the ancient scriptures his whole life, you’d think so but…no.’ Sharee sighed. ‘All right, mom. I’m glad you’re all right, but I better go and take care of Marik. If he doesn’t know about us, maybe I’d better educate him.’

_‘Take your father with you.’_

‘Yes, mom. Bye.’ Sharee hung up and dialled again. ‘Dad? We’ll be needing the Ring of Horus.’

***

“Bakura” smirked in satisfaction was the motorbike skidded to a stop in front of him and the driver grunted in effort. The driver took his helmet off and gave him a look. As he spoke, he pulled the Millennium Item in question out of hiding.

‘You’re in my way!’

‘You have something I seek.’ “Bakura” pulled his overshirt aside, revealing the Millennium Ring. It glowed brightly.

‘The Millennium Ring!’ It seemed this guy had knowledge of the Millennium Items.

“Bakura” let the power recede and folded his arms. ‘It seems you’re the dark force whose presence I’ve been sensing. Give me your Millennium Item and you may pass by.’

‘Hm.’ The other guy climbed off his motorbike. ‘You are somewhat familiar with the ancient ways. Why do you want my Item?’

‘If you must know, I’m a collector of sorts. And once I possess all seven Millennium Items I’ll control ancient power strong enough to rule the entire world. So I will ask you once again to hand over your Millennium Rod.’

The other guy stared at him for a moment. It was clear he was thinking. ‘My name is Marik.’

‘I don’t care.’

‘What if I told you I had exclusive knowledge of certain secrets?’ Marik asked. ‘You can have my Millennium Rod if you want.’ He turned his back to him. ‘But before I hand it over to you, you have to do something for me in exchange.’

Of course.

‘For I am somewhat of a collector myself. And once I possess what I desire, the Millennium Rod will mean absolutely nothing to me.’

‘Why should I help?’ “Bakura” demanded. ‘I can take your Millennium Item by force as I’ve done to others in the past.’

Marik chuckled and turned around. ‘Because I know the whereabouts of several of the Millennium Items, including the Millennium Necklace worn by my sister.’

“Bakura” smirked. This one was willing to sell his own sister out? ‘Perhaps there is a way we can work together, and help each other to get what we want.’

Marik’s own smirk widened. ‘You’ve made a wise choice.’ Both of their auras appeared around them, displaying the power each possessed, as he went on. ‘With our combined power, no one in the entire world will be able to stop us!’

***

Sharee and her father had spent the last hour grabbing everything they needed and getting here. Now, she was perched up on the railings of the wharf. Below her, Marik was just coming out of his boat’s cabin and onto the deck. Odion followed him. Sharee didn’t like what she was hearing.

‘So he has agreed to help you get the God Cards?’ Odion asked.

‘Yes,’ Marik said. ‘We’ll be meeting in a few hours, then the first part of phase two will be put into effect.’

‘Master Marik, is it at all possible the Pharaoh may learn to use his power?’ Odion asked.

‘No,’ Marik said. ‘Not unless he regains his memory, and its been said only the Lost One can do that.’

‘A child?’ Odion asked.

‘Yes, but only if the Pharaoh comes into contract with him in this world.’

The Lost One? Child? This world? It took a moment for the whole thing to hit Sharee. She recalled the little boy in the Shadow Realm. Sharee barely held herself back from face-palming. That little kid had to, somehow, be the trigger that would give the Pharaoh back his memories.

Sharee looked down at them and, with a flash of annoyance, realised that they weren’t going to say anything more about their plans. Oh, well, there was no time like the present. It wasn’t that far of a jump – for her. When she landed on the railing of the boat, she was satisfied to see both of them jump.

‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you attacking someone’s family is not only an old trick, but plain stupid?’ Sharee hopped onto the deck.

Marik recovered first and he smirked. He lifted the Millennium Rod. ‘Sharee Pertinicle, how very nice of you to drop in. To be perfectly honest, I thought I’d be seeing Shamee if she managed to track down my heart signature.’

Sharee held up two fingers and counted off. ‘First of all, Shamee has been with me for two years now. Our only previous encounter took place _one_ year ago. Shamee only has to read a heart once to be able to track it down later. Secondly, it’s a foregone conclusion that I won’t always have Shamee in my head. Any problems that are mine, I should deal with. You attacked _my_ family, so I’m handling this.’

‘It makes no difference to me.’ Marik held up his Millennium Rod at her. ‘The result is the same. You will help me reclaim that God Card from Yugi and the Pharaoh!’

Sharee folded her arms and stood there. The invading force of the Millennium Rod was a pressure in her mind, slowly seeking its way in. The eye of her Millennium Bandanna began to glow. Sharee felt the Bandanna’s power pushing against the Rod’s. With a small shake of her head, the pressure was gone entirely. Marik stumbled back, eyes wide. Sharee stretched up and her vertebrae cracked.

Odion then realised what had happened and his eyes widened. He drew back. ‘How…?’

‘This is impossible!’ Marik insisted. ‘The Bandanna is not a true Millennium Item! It should not act as one!’

Sharee chuckled. ‘You’re almost right, but five thousand years is a long time. Some things get lost to time – even basic things. Then again, even an edited memory will remember the small things. The Millennium Bandanna is not one of the original Millennium Items. However, it was imbued with Shadow Powers based on Shamee’s own natural power. That’s enough to block the effects of your Item.’

Marik scowled. ‘And how do you know that?’

‘Records my father found,’ Sharee said. ‘The Nameless Pharaoh’s Right-Hand was a natural heart-reader. That’s why she had the job. When she decided to do this, her heart-reading power was converted into Shadow Power and attached to her favourite accessory along with her soul.’ She smirked. ‘That last bit’s just logic.’

Marik gave her a long look. ‘Surprisingly clever.’

‘Marik, you seem to have a problem understanding that anyone could be smarter than you so that doesn’t mean much.’ Sharee pushed her hands into her pockets and rolled her head. ‘As for the mind-control powers of the Millennium Rod, are you even aware of the limitations?’

‘The only limitations are that it doesn’t work on those holding certain artefacts,’ Marik stated.

‘Yes, but not entirely true,’ Sharee said. ‘The will-power of a person also defines how much control you have over them. Someone with a strong will won’t be held for long. For instance, a member of my family, without some kind of protection, would be held for a few minutes at best, I should think.’

Marik’s entire expression became livid. ‘You dare challenge the power of the Millennium Rod?’

Sharee scoffed. ‘Shut it, Marik. You sound just like Pegasus. He was all “you dare challenge the power of my Millennium Eye”.’

Marik visibly forced himself to calm down. ‘Maximillion Pegasus had no true understanding of the power in his hands.’

‘I’ll give you that,’ Sharee said. ‘I mean, he was trying to bring his wife back from the dead. You know as well as I do that the Millennium Items are not designed that way. If they had been…’ She let that one hang.

Marik knew what she was getting at. ‘I would be looking at a couple of ancients rather than two teenagers.’

‘You would,’ Sharee said. ‘And you know they wouldn’t have been as nice about it as Yugi and me. Your head might even be disconnected from your shoulders at this point.’ She paused, allowing Marik to grind his teeth at her. ‘But, I have noted something. While you know the ancient scriptures and Shamee and the Pharaoh have no clue where they came from or anything…you have also made a gross miscalculation.’

‘I have made no miscalculations,’ Marik insisted.

‘But you have,’ Sharee said. ‘You see, the power of the Millennium Items depends on two things: who’s holding it and who’s being attacked by it.’ She dug into her pocket. ‘In the end, it was the power of friendship that blocked Pegasus’s Millennium Eye.’ She held up the Item in question.

‘Where did you get that?’ Marik asked.

‘From the guy you just met,’ Sharee said. ‘You know, the one that wants all the Millennium Items. He stole it from Pegasus and I took it from him. Your sister told me to hang onto it.’ She tucked the Eye back in her pocket. ‘As for you. Your second mistake was attacking my family. _Nobody_ stuffs around with the Pertinicles. I’m here to show you why.’

Marik smirked. ‘Is that a challenge?’

‘It is.’


	20. Family Affair Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharee challenges Marik - but not to a card game.

Sharee fully expected the ambush and ducked as soon as Marik’s eyes flicked behind her. She straightened up and grabbed the two Rare Hunters that’d attacked, her hands wrapping around their cloaks. Using their own surprise, and borrowing some of Shamee’s strength, she gave them a hard yank. Both of them flew overboard and landed in the water. Marik stared in disbelief.

Odion came at her next. He was fast for such a big guy. Sharee dropped again and kicked his feet out from under him. She sprung to her feet again. Odion was just pushing him up. Moving fast, Sharee shot over and kicked him in the ribs. It was just hard enough for him to be knocked onto his back. Sharee lifted her foot and then brought it down and dug her heel into the top of his sternum – a pressure point useful for incapacitation. A sound was emitted from Odion’s throat and he lay there, frozen.

Sharee lifted her head and looked at Marik. behind. ‘I also studied the writings of the Pharaoh within Yugi Moto. Do you know why he was so respected and revered in ancient times?’

‘He was a Pharaoh!’ Marik snapped. ‘They thought their kings were living embodiments of the Gods.’

‘There were plenty of Pharaohs throughout Ancient Egypt’s history that were neither respected nor revered,’ Sharee said. ‘The fact that he was meant to be a God on Earth meant nothing. The correct answer is that he earned his loyalty and love from the people.’ She paused and cocked her head, eyes going down to the Rod. ‘In fact, I’m not sure the Royal Court even knew about the Rod’s mind-control abilities back then.’

Marik growled and reached back for his duelling deck.

‘Uh!’ Sharee held her hand up. ‘Hold on, now, Marik. We’re not going to duel that way. I have another idea.’

Marik paused and looked at her curiously. ‘Oh, yes?’

‘Yes. We’re going to go a little more old-hat.’ As soon as she finished speaking, there was the roar of an engine and a pick-up truck drove into the wharf. ‘Have you met my father?’

The truck stopped next to where the boat was docked and Dennis climbed out of the driver’s seat. He moved around and hopped up onto the tray. Standing there, he waited for her to proceed. On his left forefinger, and having caught Marik’s eye, was an ancient ring made of gold and bearing the eye symbol.

‘I see he has the Ring of Horus,’ Marik remarked.

‘Well, we don’t want you using that on him.’ Sharee jabbed her finger at the Millennium Rod. ‘A few minutes is enough time for you to have him put a bullet in my back.’ She pulled her foot off of Odion’s sternum, letting him back up. She gave him a warning as he got up. ‘And he does have that gun if you interfere.’ 

Odion scowled as she stood. Anyone could see he knew that she was serious and he didn’t like it one bit. All the same, he now knew she could knock him flat. Odion backed away and stood next to the entrance of the deck. Marik watched him go and then turned his attention back to her.

‘What’s this duel?’ Marik asked.

Sharee smirked. ‘My father has brought one of every variety of traditional weapons for the ancient Egyptians – just one. You may pick a weapon and I will pick one. We use our weapons in physical combat. We may use nothing else besides the selected weapon, outside of ourselves.’

Surprise crossed Marik’s face before he smirked. ‘I see. The winner is the one who slays their opponent.’

‘That is a personal choice,’ Sharee said. ‘Pick your weapon.’

‘Give me the _khopesh_ ,’ Marik said.

Dennis leaded over and pulled a sickle-shaped sword from the tray and tossed it across. Marik caught it by the handle. He swung it around and smirked at it. ‘I must say, it’s very-well crafted. Is it a reproduction?’

‘Well, we can’t use an original can we?’ Sharee asked. ‘Dad, toss me the _mekes_.’

Dennis reached down again and pulled out a long staff with a nodule in the middle. He threw it to his daughter. Sharee caught it and spun the weapon. She brought it to a stop in a defensive position in front of her.

‘A stick?’ Marik sneered. ‘The very idea that you think that will help you is quite amusing.’

Funny, he’d said the same thing right before the Pharaoh beat him and took Slifer the Sky Dragon. Best not to mention that. ‘Let’s just get on with it.’

With a smirk, Marik swung the blade, heading right for Sharee’s head. THUNK! Marik’s eyes widened as Sharee raised the staff and blocked his blow with one end. She smirked now and spun the other end up. With a whack to the head, Marik hit the deck. His fist tightened around his sword and he looked up, his eyes slightly unfocused.

Sharee rested one end of the staff near her foot. ‘All over the world, the staff is a weapon of defence. If used properly, it can easily take impact from blades – and it’s blunt, so when you get hit with it, it hurts more.’

Marik found his focus and looked up at her, eyes narrowing. Slowly, he stood up. His eyes narrowed as he looked her over. Sharee knew that now he wouldn’t be so foolish with his fighting. He knew her skill with the weapon wasn’t as shoddy as he’d previously thought. Of course, he had a bad habit of thinking they all weren’t as good as they actually were.

Sharee smirked as they circled each other. ‘Come on now, boy, there’s no such thing as undefeatable.’

‘You are far from undefeatable, Sharee,’ Marik said.

‘I wasn’t talking about me.’

Marik growled. ‘The Pharaoh’s Puzzle and power will be mine!’ He attacked her again, swinging his sword around. Sharee blocked and spun her staff. Marik ducked to avoid getting hit in the head again. He swung again and Sharee blocked again. This time both weapons were above their heads, Marik pushing against the wood and Sharee holding her staff steady.

‘Please.’ Sharee huffed. ‘The only time the Pharaoh loses is when his judgement is clouded by something. I was talking about you.’ She was also getting sick of having her arms in the air. Sharee brought her knee up, into the bottom of Marik’s ribcage.

Marik hacked and she twisted, flipping him over her shoulder. Sharee lowered her arms. She leaned on the staff and used her free hand to wipe her face. ‘Ugh.’ Well, she supposed it served her right for that. If you were gonna knee someone in the torso, expect to get spat on.

Marik was on his feet again, faster than she was expecting, and charging at her. He stabbed. Sharee jumped to the side. She used her staff to deflect the blow to the side. Marik spun around sliced down at her again, this time aiming for her neck. Sharee ducked and swiped her staff into the back of his knees, knocking him down.

Sharee hopped up and had to swing her staff up to defend quickly. Marik had, again, recovered faster than she’d been expecting. He pounced up and came at her with an overhead swing. With another thunk, Sharee caught the blow on her staff. His eyes were burning with hatred. Sharee would admit that Marik had angled his body well this time. He was careful about not letting her get at his ribcage again, angling himself away from her at the same time as he was trying to slice her head in two. But Sharee could never have been accused of underestimating _him_.

Before that moment, Sharee didn’t know “famous last words” could include thoughts.

With a startling speed, Marik released one hand from the handle of the sword. His now-free hand shot down and he yanked his Millennium Rod out. With the flick of his wrist, Sharee realised what he was doing and she dodged to the side. Hot, white pain shot across her ribcage as Marik sliced through the flesh. If Sharee hadn’t moved, it would have gone into her ribcage and pierced her liver, she was sure.  
Sharee staggered back. She was sure she was the one glaring now, but she didn’t care. Marik still held his sword, but the Millennium Rod was in his other hand. What Sharee had been told, but never seen until now, was that the bottom part of the Millennium Rod was also a dagger. Marik his flicked away the casing in the hopes of doing her in. Now, he held the Rod with a large and sadistic smirk pasted right across his mug.

‘All right,’ Sharee said. ‘I’m done with playing games.’ Ignoring the tearing pain and pouring blood, she crossed the deck. Before she came into reach of his sword or Millennium Rod, Sharee flicked the staff out. It slammed into Marik’s gut, deep.

This time when he hacked Marik coughed up blood. He doubled over and struggled to catch his breath. It was his turn to stagger back. Sharee bounced around him and swung the end of her staff into the back of his head again. It wasn’t hard enough to knock him out, but he would be seeing double for quite a while.

Grunting, Marik shakily struggled to push himself up. Sharee wasn’t having that. She slammed the end of her staff into him again, this time aiming for his back. He hit the ground with a louder grunt. This time, he gave no resistance and he didn’t try to push himself up again.

All the same, Sharee had noticed. She may have been bleeding out all over the deck and in a load of pain, but she still noticed. She just wasn’t sure what she’d felt through the staff. It sure as Egypt’s sands didn’t feel like his spine – well, that was there too but it wasn’t what got her attention.

_Note to me: ask Ishizu later._ Sharee had to make her point though. ‘And that’s why you don’t stuff with us. Next time, I may kill you.’

Sharee leaned over and picked up his sword, dropped on the deck, and made her way over to her father. As soon as she was away from Marik, she noticed Odion rushing over to check he was all right. As for Sharee herself, her father pulled her down from the boat with his mouth set in a grim line.

***

Sharee sat in the hospital room, her father leaning against the wall. Her torso was bandaged and she had a bag of plasma attached to her arm. There was a clean row of stitches in her side. Thanks to modern medicine, though, that would eventually fade into a faint line.

Well…provided she didn’t pull any stitches.

They expected to discharge her in a few hours. That was good. She didn’t want to be stuck here for the duration of this fight. As it was, she was on the phone to the Pharaoh. It wasn’t often that Sharee was the one talking to him but she was the one who owed the explanation. The radio was on in the background.

‘Yeah, so I had to deal with that. I should be out by about five. Have you found our friends yet?’

_‘Not yet, but I’m looking.’_

A voice in the background told Sharee what the main problem was. ‘Oh, is Kaiba still badgering you?’

_‘Yes.’_

‘Is Mokuba with him?’

_‘No.’_

‘So, he didn’t take Shamee seriously.’ Sharee huffed. ‘You’d think he’d know better by now.’

_‘You would think.’_

Sharee went to say something, but she suddenly noticed what the radio reporter was saying. ‘Um, Pharaoh, you might want to look near the aquarium.’

_‘Why?’_

‘It said on the radio that Joey Wheeler just defeated Mako Tsunami.’


	21. Double Duel Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaiba and the Pharaoh are forced to team up.

The Pharaoh headed for the Domino Aquarium. Kaiba was still following him. The Pharaoh knew the whole reason for that was that he was still hoping that he could get the God Card off of him. The Pharaoh severely doubted that. And he also doubted Yugi’s worries over Sharee. That girl was tough even without Shamee’s influence. And it would not be the first time she’d gotten injured in a fight.

In fact, the Pharaoh was getting kind of sick of it. ‘My friends are in a great deal of danger, Kaiba. I don’t really have time for this.’

‘Relax,’ Kaiba told him, rolling his eyes. ‘It’s not like this Marik character is going to kill them.’

‘At first, no, but I can’t count on that.’

‘Hmph.’ Kaiba scowled at the Aquarium. ‘Well, then you better start looking for them.’

Instead of answering, the Pharaoh went to do just that.

***

Sharee stood against the wall, waiting for her father to stop talking with the doctor. He was just getting the final paperwork done and then she could go. Of course, standing out in the hallway like she was, that was how she saw Bakura. The hospital staff wheeled him by on a gurney, Mr. Moto following.

As soon as he saw her, though, Yugi’s grandpa stopped. ‘Sharee, what are you doing here?’

There were no outward indications of her injury and she had no desire to share with anyone else. ‘Small issue. What happened to him?’ She nodded at Bakura.

‘He’s been injured, but I’m not sure who by,’ Mr. Moto said. ‘He was found by this nice young boy.’

_Oh, really? Somehow I don’t think that boy was quite as “nice” as you think he was._ ‘I see.’ The door next to her opened and Sharee watched her father come out. ‘Uh, dad, I think I’ll be needed in the City.’

‘All right. I’ll drive you.’ Dennis smiled and nodded to Mr. Moto. ‘Hello, sorry we can’t hang about.’

***

The Pharaoh listened to the dial tone of the pay phone for a few moments. He sighed and hung up. This was not good. Téa wasn’t answering her cell phone. It hadn’t worked with Yugi’s cell phone either. If neither device could get through, things were likely as bad as they could possibly get. Marik might already have them.

Yugi was on the verge of a panic. _I knew this was gonna happen! Marik found my friends before I could. But where did he take them?_

The Pharaoh stepped out of the phone booth. Outside, Kaiba was leaning against the telephone pole. In his mind, the Pharaoh knew there were other possibilities to what Yugi thought but he also knew the odds were in favour of the boy’s fears. The Pharaoh was of a mind to tell Kaiba that his friends were caught. He would have, except that a familiar car caught his eye.

Yugi had been to the Pertinicle house several times since he met Sharee. While there, he had seen both Sharee’s yellow jeep and her father’s white pick-up truck. The latter of the two vehicles was pulling up to the curb near them. When it stopped, the door opened and Sharee climbed out. She said something to her father before she closed the door and then he drove away.

Sharee walked over to them. ‘Darndest thing. Bakura was just admitted to the hospital with a stab wound in his upper arm.’

‘Why is that important?’ Kaiba asked.

The Pharaoh knew why. It told them something very important. A stab wound in his upper arm…Sharee’s own wound had been given to her by the dagger feature of the Millennium Rod. It didn’t take a genius to work out that Marik had teamed up with the Evil Spirit of the Ring.

‘Because it wasn’t Bakura,’ Sharee said.

‘That doesn’t make any sense,’ Kaiba insisted.

‘If you’re going to deny it, let’s finish this conversation now.’ Sharee looked back at the Pharaoh. ‘Did you find them?’

‘No, Téa isn’t answering her phone,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘Really?’ Sharee pulled her own cell phone out of her pocket and dialled. She lifted it to her ear and listened for a minute. Her expression darkened. ‘No wonder. Her phone isn’t in service anymore. My bet is that someone crushed it underfoot.’ As she tucked the phone away again, the Pharaoh felt Sharee switch to Shamee.

‘Hey, you two, relax,’ Kaiba said. ‘It’s obvious they’re really after you and your Egyptian God card, not your pathetic friends. They’re of no use to anyone.’ He turned away and walked a few steps. ‘Besides, my satellite will track them down. Wheeler’s duel disk sends out a constant signal so finding your friends will be a simple task.’

‘It’s not so much the finding our friends that we’re worried about, Kaiba,’ Shamee said. ‘It’s _how_ we find them. Besides, I don’t think Marik views anyone as useless.’

‘Regardless, once this is all done with…’ Kaiba turned back around. ‘…you’re going to duel against me, Yugi. And your Egyptian God Card will be mine. So get ready to lose.’

‘Will you drop it already?’ Shamee demanded.

‘No.’

‘Kaiba, you and I will duel soon enough but not until my friends are safe,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Is that clear?’

Kaiba’s smile could be called nothing else but smug. His attention was quickly drawn, though, by his collar-communicator beeping. He reached up and answered it.

Mokuba’s voice came through. _‘Seto, come in!’_

‘What is it, Mokuba?’ Kaiba asked.

_‘We have a problem,’_ Mokuba said. _‘Joey Wheeler’s duel disk isn’t transmitting a signal to the satellite system. I think something’s blocking it. I’ll go back to headquarters and make sure the team starts working on the tracking problem right away.’_

‘Do it,’ Kaiba ordered.

_‘All right. We’ll find those guys, Seto. I promise.’_

‘When you do, let me know.’ Kaiba terminated the connection. ‘There’s been a minor setback. Either my satellite system has a glitch, or these Rare Hunters are smarter than I thought.’

Shamee folded her arms across her chest when she heard that. ‘They’ve blocked Joey’s signal? Well, they did it before. What would stop them from doing it again?’

***

Shamee walked on the Pharaoh’s other side from Kaiba. While they were waiting on the report from Mokuba, they were looking by foot. Sharee had already felt out Joey’s heart signature and she found it was in the area of the harbour. Kaiba didn’t quite believe she could be as accurate as she was.

Something suddenly caught Shamee’s eye and she turned her head. ‘I think we’re about to get an invitation.’

The Pharaoh was the first to follow her gaze. There was a man in a long purple cloak – clearly a Rare Hunter – chasing after them by rooftop. He pounced down by the building in front of them and landed a few feet before them. Shamee agreed with Sharee. That was unnecessarily flamboyant.

Kaiba spoke first. ‘Rare Hunter!’

The Rare Hunter stood up. His face wasn’t visible under the hood.

‘What have you done with my friends?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘That’s for us to know,’ the Rare Hunter said.

Shamee suddenly became aware of something.

The Rare Hunter pointed behind them. ‘And, Seto Kaiba, look who else is coming with us.’

All three of them turned. Shamee scowled when she saw what she did. A helicopter was coming down, blowing their hair back. More importantly, though, Mokuba Kaiba was suspended from it by a rope. Shamee felt like face-palming, she really did. She’d have thought Marik would realise, by now, that was a no-go area.

‘Let him go!’ Kaiba yelled.

‘Big brother!’ Mokuba yelled. ‘Help me, Seto! Help me, please!’

‘Mokuba!’ Kaiba called.

Shamee knew if there was one thing Kaiba did care about, it was his little brother.

‘Seto, get me down!’ Mokuba yelled. ‘Please, help me, Seto!’

‘Mokuba!’ Kaiba called again.

Shamee turned back around first. ‘My Gods, what an ability Marik has to repeat past mistakes!’

Kaiba didn’t seem to hear. ‘Rare Hunters, let my brother go now!’

‘He’s fine for now,’ the Rare Hunter facing them said. ‘But his future’s up in the air!’

‘Help me, Seto!’ Mokuba yelled.

‘You’ll pay for this.’ Kaiba was nearly snarling. He spun around. ‘If you so much as touch one hair on my brother’s head, I promise I’ll hunt you all down and crush every one of you with the weight of the entire Kaiba Corporation!’

The Pharaoh turned around too.

The Rare Hunter laughed. ‘Your empty threats will get you nowhere, but there is one way to save your brother.’

‘Tell me.’

The Rare Hunter pointed. ‘Meet us at the top of that building, Kaiba.’ They looked. ‘That is, if you ever expect to see your brother again. The choice is yours.’

Kaiba twisted around. Shamee and the Pharaoh turned as well. The helicopter had begun to lift up again, taking his brother with it. He screamed as he went.

‘Mokuba!’ Kaiba called.

‘And Kaiba’s not the only one whose presence is required,’ the Rare Hunter said.

The Pharaoh and Shamee both spun around again.

‘If you expect to be reunited with your friends, you’ll join us as well, Yugi,’ the Rare Hunter stated.

‘Listen to me!’ the Pharaoh barked. ‘I’m warning you, leave them alone!’

The Rare Hunter laughed again. ‘I’ll see you both shortly.’ He took off, bouncing up to the top of the building. ‘Remember, gentlemen, meet us on the roof.’ They watched him go.

‘Looks like we have no choice,’ Kaiba said.

The Pharaoh turned to him. ‘That’s right.’

Kaiba clenched his hand into a fist. ‘Our enemies are one and the same.’

The Pharaoh nodded.

‘But make no mistake,’ Kaiba said. ‘I’m in this for Mokuba. When it comes to rescuing your friends, you two are on your own.’

‘Fine, Kaiba,’ the Pharaoh responded. They all looked up at the building in question.

***

Kaiba stood on the rooftop with Yugi and Sharee. Across from them stood the Rare Hunter from before with one of his pals. Both were still cowled and unidentifiable. As usual for conflicts, Sharee stood at Yugi’s back. They both had hard and stoic looks on their faces, like they were twice as old as they were. Kaiba was curious, though. He, Yugi and each of the Rare Hunters were standing on their own glass roof panel. And each panel had an odd-looking box attacked to the far corner. He had a funny feeling those boxes were bombs.

‘I see you two decided to show up,’ the Rare Hunter from before said. ‘A very wise choice.’

‘Yes, now tell us: what is the meaning of this?’ Yugi demanded.

For being such a small, unimposing kid normally, he sure could get intimidating during duels – not that Kaiba would ever tell him that. ‘We’ve kept up our end of the deal. So, why don’t you hold up yours and release the prisoners?’

‘I’m afraid it isn’t that simple,’ the Rare Hunter said. ‘You two will have to duel us first. If you win, you’ll see your loved ones again.’ He laughed. ‘Before the fun begins, allow us to introduce ourselves.’ He lifted his head so they could see his face. Kaiba nearly couldn’t believe it. ‘I am Lumis.’

The other one did the same and Kaiba was less surprised. ‘I am Umbra.’

Sharee looked at the two standing in front of her. ‘Seen them before I take it?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ Yugi said.

Lumis started talking again. ‘You’ve defeated us once before, but I assure you, you won’t be so lucky in this duel.’

‘And if we do win, you’ll release our friends and family?’ Yugi demanded.

‘Perhaps,’ Lumis said. ‘But there’s no way you’ll win! Now, let me explain the rules of this match. It will be a double duel. Us against you two. Each duellist will receive 4000 life points. You must defeat both of the other team’s duellists in order to win. And, as for the losers, they’ll pay a very hefty price: a trip to the Shadow Realm!’

Kaiba started and he heard Yugi and Sharee gasp on his right. He remembered that place and he had no desire to go back. It had just been darkness and lost souls in there. The only thing that’d kept him in tact, he knew, was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over the experience of that void.

Lumis went on. ‘You’ll be delivered to the dark world in the most ingenious of ways. Notice where you’re standing?’

The three of them looked down.

‘On a thin surface above a fifty-story light shaft that runs all the way to the ground floor,’ Lumis said. ‘But if you fall, you’ll never reach the bottom. That’s because the very surface on which we stand is the divider between our world…’ He laughed and tapped his foot against it. ‘…and the dreaded Shadow Realm. Each duellist’s life points will be displayed in the magic Shadow Box on the floor beside you.’

Yugi turned and looked over his shoulder.

‘When your life points reach zero, the surface below you will be destroyed, opening up a vortex that leads directly to the Shadow Realm!’ Lumis looked at Kaiba. ‘And, according to Battle City rules – your rules – when we win, we take your Egyptian God Cards. Ready?’ He chuckled and that soon tuned into laughter. ‘Looks like I’ve left you speechless.’

Kaiba smirked. ‘I was just waiting for you to finish. Do I have your guarantee that my brother’s all right?’

‘Yes, but I wouldn’t count on seeing him again,’ Lumis said.

Umbra picked up. ‘Once you’re in the Shadow Realm, there are no visitors!’ Both of them laughed.

If that was what they were calling it, Kaiba knew that more than he’d like. ‘It looks as if you’ve just made your second mistake today, Rare Hunter. The first was kidnapping my brother and the second was challenging me.’ He activated his duel disk.

‘We’ll see about that, Kaiba,’ Lumis sneered.

Yugi activated his own duel disk. ‘And I will rescue my friends!’

‘Very touching!’ Umbra sneered as well. ‘But we duel for our master, Marik, and losing is not an option. Our decks were specially assembled to take down your Egyptian God Cards and that’s just what we’ll do!’

‘And once we deliver them to Master Marik, he’ll possess all three Egyptian God Cards!’ Lumis falsely predicted. ‘In the meantime, you’ll be spending all of eternity in the Shadow Realm! So, if you’re ready, let’s duel!’

They all drew their first cards.

‘Are you ready?’ Lumis asked. ‘I trust you know the rules?’

‘Yes.’ Yugi had obviously done this kind of duel before – probably partnered with Wheeler. ‘This duel is two against two. Each player takes a separate turn but players on the same team must work together to defeat the opposing team.’

Kaiba inwardly shuddered. Working together with Yugi. How irritating. Well, maybe he didn’t have to. After all, they’d already defeated these clowns once before without too much effort.

‘And I’ll begin.’ Lumis drew.

‘Very well, Rare Hunter,’ Yugi said.

Lumis took two cards from his hand. ‘I’ll place two cards face down…’ He did so and both of them appeared on the field. ‘…and end my turn. Make your move, if you dare. It’ll only bring you closer to the Shadow Realm.’

Yugi studied the cards across from them for a good moment. The wheels in his head were clearly turning. ‘Wrong!’ He drew and looked at his card. ‘I’ll summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defence mode.’ He took another card from his hand and set it on the field. ‘My monster will protect my life points from your attacks, Rare Hunters.’ The card appeared and Beta emerged from it.

Kaiba remembered that, in these duels, no one could attack until each duellist had drawn at least once. He also noticed that Yugi was still studying them. Ah, he was trying to pick up on their strategy. Kaiba was doing the same thing.

‘Observe.’ Umbra drew and took a card from his hand. He played a card and it appeared on the field. ‘I summon Shining Abyss in defence mode!’ The monster emerged from the card.

Lumis laughed again for some reason. ‘Now, it’s time to show you how we duel together.’

Yugi was quick to state. ‘A team strategy!’

‘That’s right, Yugi. Activate Mast of Brutality!’ One of Lumis’s face-down cards flipped up.

‘Thank you, Lumis,’ Umbra said. ‘Your Mask will be a perfect fit for my monster.’ The card activated and shot over to the monster in question. It was shrouded in a golden light and a red and black mask took form over the head of the Shining Abyss – or what he had of a head.

‘Not only that, Umbra, but it will boost your monster’s attack power by 1000 points.’ As Lumis said this, it happened.

Kaiba drew back. ‘What? These Rare Hunters already have a monster on the field with 2600 attack points!’

‘That’s right,’ Lumis said. ‘And it will stay that way as long as we each give up 1000 life points for every turn we plan to use Mask of Brutality.’

‘Ah, but now we won’t have to.’ Umbra pulled another card out of his hand. ‘Observe as I activate a magic card called Masked Doll.’ He played it and the card appeared on the field. Both the card and the Shining Abyss glowed around the edges.

Yugi made an annoyed grunt beside him. It matched how Kaiba was feeling exactly, not that he’d ever tell him that.

Umbra explained the card. ‘My Masked Doll will absorb any and all negative effects caused by my magic card.’

Lumis sniggered. ‘Nice work. Now our life points will remain untouched by our Mask of Brutality. You fools are no match for us!’

‘Yes,’ Umbra said. ‘That’s right.’

‘And our tag-team strategy will destroy you!’ Lumis announced confidently.

‘I doubt it,’ Yugi said. ‘We can play off the strengths of each others cards and work as a team as well as you can, Rare Hunters!’

Well, yes, but the thought of actually doing it made Kaiba nauseous. He humphed and closed his eyes. ‘No, thanks.’

‘Huh?’ Yugi asked, sounding more annoyed than confused.

Kaiba looked at him. ‘Teamwork is for boy scouts and nursery schools, Yugi.’

‘You’re wrong,’ Yugi said.

‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ Kaiba told him. ‘I can win this duel and save my brother without your help.’ He looked across at the Rare Hunters. ‘I’m the world’s greatest duellist and, when I win the Battle City Tournament, I’ll prove it.’

‘Oh, for the love of the Gods!’ Sharee suddenly snapped irritably. ‘Kaiba, put your pride in the box! These duels are a team effort and if you can’t work like that, you’re going to take a skyscraper-level plunge!’

Kaiba ground his teeth.

***

The Pharaoh could see that Shamee’s statement had struck a cord. All the same, Kaiba still wasn’t going to admit that he actually needed help – not yet anyway. He reached for his deck and drew. He took a couple of cards from his hands. ‘I’ll place two cards face-down.’ He played the cards and they appeared in front of him. ‘And then…’ He took a third card from his hand. ‘…I’ll summon Force Raider the Man Beast!’ As soon as he laid the card on the field, with as much force as he could, it appeared and the monster emerged from his card. ‘And I place my monster in attack mode.’

 _What’s he doing?_ Yugi wondered. _His monster’s weaker than theirs!_ The Pharaoh agreed completely, but he understood what Kaiba was doing. Men did the most foolish things when they thought they had something to prove. He also agreed with Yugi’s next statement. _And if we don’t have a team strategy we’ll never win._

‘Well, we’ve each taken one turn,’ Kaiba said. ‘Now, it’s time to see whose strategy is superior. I think you’ll find the answer to that is obvious.’

‘I agree,’ Lumis said. ‘Due to our team strategy we have the most powerful monster on the field. Might I remind you our decks were specifically created to work together, to defeat your Egyptian God Cards?’

‘This duel has just begun, Rare Hunters!’ the Pharaoh snapped.

_We have to win!_ Yugi insisted. _The safety of my friends depends on it!_ The Pharaoh looked to his left at Yugi’s next thought. _But unless Kaiba agrees to work together as a team, we’re doomed!_ And Kaiba, the great fool, was completely unaware of how much trouble they were in because of his pride – based on that smirk he had. _If he keeps up this selfish attitude we’ll lose this duel and be transported to the Shadow Realm. And Marik will have all three Egyptian God Cards. Plus who knows what will happen to the gang under Marik’s control? We’ve got to defeat these Rare Hunters. The Fate of my friends, and the world, depends on it!_


	22. Double Duel Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hardest part is getting Kaiba to work as a team.

Lumis sneered. ‘Accepting our challenge was a huge mistake! When this double duel is over, you two will be banished to the Shadow Realm. Then we’ll deliver both of your Egyptian God Cards to Master Marik and he shall possess all three.’

‘Wrong!’ the Pharaoh snapped. ‘We will prevail and you will release Mokuba and my friends!’

‘Never.’ Lumis drew. ‘Just look at this.’ He turned his card around. ‘It’s my Mask of the Accursed magic card.’

The Pharaoh drew back.

Lumis played it. ‘And once I place it on your monster, it will be rendered useless, Yugi. So try my Mask on for size, Magnet Warrior.’ The Mask appeared on the monster.

The Pharaoh growled in annoyance as Lumis laughed.

‘It’s a perfect fit,’ he said. ‘As long as this mask stays on your monster can’t attack or defend. And that’s not the only effect, Yugi. Until the Mask comes off, you will lose 500 life points for every turn you take. You’re finished!’ He chuckled. ‘I’ll also place one card face-down.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘Now, it’s back to your side.’

_It’s probably a trap card. Lumis hasn’t played one monster card yet. I think I’m onto their team strategy. I bet Umbra holds their monster arsenal in his deck while Lumis holds a deck full of magic and trap cards to weaken our monsters._ Yugi was right. It was just a pity that Kaiba wasn’t going to listen to him.

Lumis pointed at him. ‘You’ll be in the Shadow Realm very soon. As soon as your life points reach zero. And speaking of life points, you lose five hundred thanks to my Mask of the Accursed.’

The Pharaoh watched the life points drop to 3500. He glared at Lumis. ‘Enough!’ He drew. _Perfect! The Beast of Gilfer. Now I can sacrifice my Magnet Warrior, destroying their Mask of the Accursed and summon this more powerful monster!_

‘Why don’t you make your move, Yugi?’ Lumis sneered. ‘Trying to delay your trip to the Shadow Realm?’ He sniggered.

‘Not quite. Now, I’ll sacrifice my Magnet Warrior!’

Lumis laughed. ‘Not so fast, Yugi. Behold!’ He activated his down card. ‘You just triggered my trap card, Mask of Restrict!’ The trap took form. ‘With this one the field, you two can’t win. That’s because as long as my Mask of Restrict card remains in play neither of you can sacrifice your monsters. And, without sacrifices, you two can’t summon more powerful monsters to the field, making it that much easier to defeat you.’

‘Of course, without the ability to sacrifice your Egyptian God cards are all but useless now,’ Umbra said. ‘Until we claim them for Marik!’

_There’s no way we can win with weak monsters!_ Yugi insisted. _We’ve got to turn this duel around._ Well, in the meantime, he had to make sure they couldn’t do extra harm to their life points. ‘I’ll place one card face-down and then I will summon Kuriboh in defence mode.’ He played the cards and they appeared, Kuriboh emerging. The Pharaoh glanced over at Kaiba. _If we’re gonna beat these Rare Hunters, Kaiba and I will have to duel like a team._

_**Patience, Yugi,**_ the Pharaoh cautioned. He was sure, once Kaiba saw there was no other way, he would double duel properly. In the meantime, the Pharaoh would have to work this one out from his end.

‘It’s my turn.’ Umbra drew. ‘I could attack your Magnet Warrior, Yugi, but since it reduces your life points by five hundred every turn, I’d be a fool to destroy it. Then there’s your monster, Kaiba. But your face-down card could be a trap.’ He glanced over at his partner. ‘First off, I’ll set one card face-down!’ He played the card and it appeared on the field. ‘And now my Shining Abyss, attack Kaiba’s Vorse Raider!’ The monster attacked.

Kaiba smirked. ‘Hold on, fool. You’ve activated my Ring of Destruction!’ The card flipped up.

The Pharaoh smiled at that.

The Ring appeared around the neck of Shining Glory. ‘My Destructive trap card will wipe out your Shining Abyss. Both of us will lose close to 2000 life points but only you will be out one monster.’

‘Sorry to disappoint you, but my card cancels your trap!’ Lumis flipped up his own down card.

‘What?’ Kaiba demanded.

‘Activate Curse Transfer!’ Lumis sneered at Kaiba’s reaction. ‘My counter-trap card is triggered whenever you play a trap card.’ The Ring was removed from Shining Abyss and onto the Raider. ‘It automatically transfers your card’s effect back to your monster. Say goodbye to your Vorse Raider!’

Kaiba growled.

_Umbra and Kaiba will both lose almost 2000 life points when Vorse Raider is destroyed. Unless they have a magic card to protect them!_ At Yugi’s thought, the Pharaoh gasped. ‘Kaiba, they may have something planned!’

‘Zip it, Yugi,’ Kaiba retorted. ‘I know what’s going on and I don’t need your advice.’

‘Prepare to lose your monster and almost half your life points!’ Lumis crowed as the Raider was destroyed with the explosion. As it happened, though, the Pharaoh saw a card in front of Kaiba activate. The smoke was blown away, revealing the trap.

‘I’ve activated my magic card, Ring of Defence,’ Kaiba said. ‘It will protect my life points from any damage.’ He smirked again. ‘Nice try.’

Umbra didn’t lose his wide grin though. ‘Why, thank you. But I’m afraid your Ring of Defence won’t be helping you, Kaiba.’

‘Why not?’ Kaiba demanded.

‘Because I activate this.’ Umbra flipped up his down card. ‘My Spell Transfer magic card. It transfers your card’s effects to me…’ The Ring of Defence crossed the field. ‘…which means my life points will remain untouched while yours are almost cut in half.’ Kaiba’s life points dropped to 2100.

The Pharaoh turned his head, irritation winning out for a moment. ‘Kaiba.’

Shamee spoke up. ‘If he was childish, he’d say “I told you so”.’

Kaiba shot her a glare.

Lumis sniggered. ‘Too bad you won’t be seeing your brother again.’

Umbra finished the sentence. ‘But where you’re going, that will be the least of your worries, Kaiba. Time to wipe out the rest of your life points.’ His monster started to charge up for his attack again. ‘Shining Abyss, attack now! Say hello to the Shadow Realm!’ Umbra laughed. The blast shot across the field, heading for the undefended Kaiba.

The Pharaoh knew he had to act fast.

***

‘You’re finished, Kaiba!’ Umbra crowed.

Shamee wasn’t really surprised when their side of the field was suddenly swarmed with Kuribohs. The blast Shining Abyss had released only wiped out a fraction of them and then they all grew back, multiplying and increasing the mass. For a second, Kaiba looked just as surprised as Umbra and Lumis but it didn’t last. He’d seen this trick before.

‘What happened?’ Lumis demanded.

Kaiba’s eyes snapped to Yugi. ‘You! You saved my life points!’ He sounded annoyed.

This one time, Shamee voiced her host’s thoughts. ‘Well, maybe you’d like to go back to the Shadow Realm, then?’

Kaiba said nothing. His silence gave him away. He’d been to the Shadow Realm once and he clearly had no desire to go back.

The Pharaoh addressed Lumis and Umbra. ‘Your attack has been blocked, thanks to my magic card. It’s simple.’ The card flipped up. ‘It multiplied my Kuriboh. Now, your monster’s attack won’t affect this side of the field.’

Umbra growled. ‘Your furballs won’t be around for too long, and when they go so will your life points.’

‘I realise your magic card saved my life points, but next time I’ll do it myself!’ Kaiba snapped.

Shamee rolled her eyes. Telling him that there was a point when self-sufficiency turned into stupidity would accomplish nothing. Sharee had explained it to Yugi long ago, a message that seemed to have reached the Pharaoh as well. Kaiba had clearly had to do everything for himself and his brother from a very young age. That meant asking for help, or even receiving it, was such a foreign concept for him that he wouldn’t know how to accept it.

The Pharaoh kept his face straight. ‘Kaiba, if you ever expect to see Mokuba again we need to help each other. Remember, the minute one of us falls the other won’t stand a chance against their unified tag-team assault.’

‘Are you questioning my skills as a duellist, Yugi?’ Kaiba demanded.

_Oversensitive as a rotten tooth._

Shamee’s lips quirked upwards. _**I’d toast to that.**_

‘I’m saying we must combine our forces in order to defeat these Rare Hunters,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘They duel as a team, building on one another’s moves and we have to do the same! I saved you and if you don’t protect me the same way, I may not be around to save you again.’

Kaiba’s eyes narrowed and he turned back to Lumis and Umbra.

***

Téa hit the floor. ‘Oh, man that was not fun.’ She rubbed her throbbing rear end. ‘Well, it could’ve been worse, right?’ A stray box suddenly fell down onto her head. The door suddenly opened and Téa heard a familiar voice.

‘Let me go! Whoa!’ A body hit the floor. ‘Do you know who you’re messing with?’ The door slammed shut.

‘Who’s there?’ Téa pulled the box of her head. She was surprised at who she saw. ‘Mokuba?’

Mokuba looked up, surprised. ‘Téa!’

Téa rushed over to him. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah, I guess.’

About twenty minutes later, Mokuba had told her what he knew.

‘So they’re called Rare Hunters?’ Téa asked.

‘Yeah,’ Mokuba said. ‘And I was trying to find you guys when they grabbed me.’

‘The same thing happened to Joey and me,’ Téa told him. ‘And I think I know why.’

Mokuba looked at her. ‘So do I. They’re just using us as bait to trap my brother and Yugi and then take their rarest cards away from them.’ He looked down again. ‘You know why, Téa? Because Yugi and Seto both have an Egyptian God Card.’

That wasn’t what she’d been thinking but now he had her attention. ‘Egyptian what?’

‘Gods,’ Mokuba said. ‘They’re the most powerful cards in Duel Monsters and there’s only three. Whoever has them all will be unbeatable, Téa. We just got caught in the middle.’

‘Oh. Are you sure that’s all these guys want?’

‘Well, it’s the only thing I can think of. Why?’

‘Um!’ Téa decided not to tell him. It sounded crazy anyway. ‘No reason.’ He didn’t look convinced. ‘Really! It’s nothing.’ _If this has anything to do with ancient evil forces trying to destroy the world, then it’s gotta be about more than just getting a few good Duel Monsters cards. I know it!_

***

Kaiba stared across the field. He was not going to tag-team with Yugi. He could beat these jokers without Yugi’s help. On top of that, Sharee could just shut her mouth. Okay, yes, everything she’d said during the duel had a valid point but he didn’t need anyone’s help to win this.

Lumis was going again. ‘Master Marik will be pleased hen we deliver both of your Egyptian God Cards to him.’

‘And tell him you’ve been banished to the Shadow Realm,’ Umbra said.

‘Enough of this!’ Kaiba drew. He looked at the card. _My Blue Eyes White Dragon._ He’d always felt a strong connection to this monster, even before he had his first one. _This card can destroy their monster with ease, but I have to sacrifice two weaker monsters in order to summon it and I can’t do that._ He looked at the offending card across the field. _As long as these Rare Hunters have the Mask of Restrict in play I can’t sacrifice anything._ Kaiba ground his teeth. _But I’ll find a way. I’ll wipe them both out by myself and take back my brother. They’ll be sorry they ever met me!_

Kaiba was aware of Yugi watching him.

Kaiba took two cards from his hand and set them on the field. ‘First, I’ll play one card face-down. Then I’ll summon Battle Ox in defence mode to protect my life points.’ The Ox emerged from his card.

Umbra chuckled. ‘You can’t expect to win by hiding behind weak monsters. Our Shining Abyss has 2600 attack points. It can easily annihilate your Battle Ox and tear you’re your wall of furballs, leaving your life points wide open. Right, Lumis?’

Please! Not even the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon had been able to get through these furballs.

‘Precisely, Umbra,’ Lumis said. ‘Looks like you’ll never see your friends again. Not where you’ll be going.’ He drew. ‘But before I completely wipe out your life points, I must first demolish your defensive wall of miniature monsters. And I have just the magic card to do it – another mask!’ He played his next card. ‘Behold!’ The card flipped up.

Yugi drew back. Well, there went his defence.

‘My Mask of Dispel!’ Lumis crowed as Yugi’s Multiply card began to come apart. As it was swallowed by purple mist, the Rare Hunter laughed. ‘It will cover your Multiply magic card and conceal its effect so I’m afraid your Kuriboh army will be reduced back down to one.’ Just that was happening. ‘With your weak defences crumbling, it’s only a matter of time before we destroy you both! This was easier than I thought, and I’m not through with you yet. Just like your Magnet Warrior’s Mask, with this in play, you lose 500 more life points every turn.’ He chuckled. ‘Next I’ll summon my Grand Tiki Elder and rid the field of your Kuriboh.’ He played the card and the monster appeared. It immediately began to disorient the monster in question. ‘Attack now!’

Kuriboh was blasted apart. Yugi lifted his arm to shield himself from the blast.

Once it faded, Lumis spoke again. ‘Now your life points are wide open for a direct attack, Yugi, since your Magnet Warrior can’t defend you thanks to the Mask it’s wearing. And as soon as your life points hit zero, you’ll plummet directly to the Shadow Realm.’ He barked out another laugh. ‘You two can’t possibly win this duel. Not only can’t you sacrifice your monsters to summon stronger ones, but thanks to our Mask cards you lose 1000 life points every turn, Yugi.’

Yugi looked down at his duel disk as his life points dropped to 2500.

‘You’re finished!’ Lumis gloated.

‘We’ll see!’ Yugi looked at the cards in his hand before he drew. ‘I draw.’ He added his new card to his hand before he took another, swapping them over. Obviously he had a plan because he looked at Kaiba with an annoyed look on his face. He was taking a really long time about it. He got an idea at which card Yugi was staring at.

‘What are you waiting for?’ Kaiba demanded. ‘You couldn’t possibly make things any worse than you already have, Yugi.’

Sharee suddenly spoke up. ‘And who wasted two of his cards and half of his life points?’

Kaiba did not want to acknowledge her but that stung. He couldn’t stop one glare from shooting at her. Sharee didn’t even have the appropriate bad grace to look smug. Kaiba pretended to ignore her and continued what he was saying. ‘Thanks to you the cards we’re holding are absolutely useless. In fact, I have a card in my hand that could win this game for us.’ He looked down at his Blue Eyes. ‘But due to your sloppy duelling, I can’t summon it to the field. It’s better off in the graveyard.’

Yugi’s shocked look confirmed what Kaiba thought.

Lumis sniggered. ‘Well, have you ever seen such a pathetic team?’

‘Defeating them and taking their Egyptian God Cards will be simple,’ Umbra said. ‘They’ve already done most of the work for us.’

‘That’s enough!’ Yugi played his card. ‘I place one card face-down.’ It appeared on the field. ‘And that will end my turn.’

‘I see.’ Umbra decided he wasn’t done mocking them. ‘It appears you weren’t able to summon another monster to defend your life points. Not that it would have mattered, for I’m about to summon an unstoppable creature.’ He pulled the card from his hand. ‘But, first, I need to play my all-powerful magic card known as Curse of the Masked Beast!’ A ritual card appeared on the field.

‘What is that?’ Kaiba didn’t care that he’d asked the question at the same time as Yugi.

Umbra explained as it happened. ‘This card allows me to sacrifice both our monsters and call forth one of the most destructive forces you’ve ever experienced. Behold, the almighty power of the Masked Beast!’ It appeared on the field with a guttural growl. ‘Nothing can stop his wrath.’

Yugi gasped as he looked it over. For once, Kaiba didn’t blame him. The blasted thing had an attack strength of 3200.

Umbra went on. ‘So prepare to lose it all, Yugi!’

‘It can’t be!’

‘Time to say goodbye to your life points.’ Umbra called the attack. ‘Now send him to the Shadow Realm, my Masked Beast.’ The beast charged.

Kaiba wasn’t sure what drove him to do it, but he knew it wasn’t what he would say. If he was honest, it was like something woke up inside him. Whatever it was, it compelled him to defend Yugi…no matter what the cost. It was kind of scary if Kaiba was honest. He wasn’t used to feeling protective over someone who wasn’t Mokuba. ‘Battle Ox, defend!’ His Ox charged and took the blow, inevitably getting destroyed.

Yugi threw his arm over his face as the light was expelled over his part of the field. When he lowered his arm, he gasped. He sounded surprised. Sharee just turned her head and looked at Kaiba. Her brow was furrowed like she was both confused and thinking very hard about something.

‘What’s this?’ Umbra demanded. ‘Kaiba’s monster intercepted my attack. It can’t be!’

Kaiba smirked. ‘Are you surprised? This is a double duel after all and my team-mate was in danger.’

Sharee chuckled. ‘Oh, I get it. If Yugi loses, so do you.’

‘Exactly.’ Kaiba would admit it, if only to himself, he liked Sharee the most out of Yugi’s Dork Patrol. She asked the less questions, had fewer corny opinions, didn’t push for him to do things her way and seemed to be the only one who knew when to back off. In fact, she often pulled her dumb friends back as well. ‘So I used my Battle Ox to defend his life points against your Masked Beast.’

‘I thought that they weren’t working together as a team, Lumis!’ Umbra insisted.

‘Please,’ Sharee said. ‘Let’s explain this properly. Kaiba only defended Yugi because if they lose this duel, then he won’t get his brother back. See, he didn’t do it for Yugi’s benefit. It isn’t that hard to work out.’

Yugi looked at him. ‘Regardless, Kaiba, thank you.’

Kaiba said nothing.

‘You defending your partner caused you to lose your only defensive monster,’ Lumis stated.

Umbra picked up. ‘And soon it will cause you to lose the rest of your life points when my Masked Beast moves in for the attack!’

Kaiba just smirked. _Unless Yugi returns my favour._

‘You fools can’t win!’ Umbra insisted.

‘Reveal face-down card, Card Destruction!’ The card in front of Yugi flipped up.

_Yes!_ Just as Kaiba thought.

‘Oh no!’ Lumis yelled.

‘We lose our entire hand!’ Umbra cried.

‘That’s correct,’ Yugi said. He did what needed to be done as he said it. ‘Now, each duellist must deposit every card in their hand into the card graveyard. Once they’re buried, you must start over by drawing a completely new hand.’

‘Now, I’ll send my hand to the graveyard.’ Kaiba easily dropped his hand into the graveyard and pulled a new hand from his deck.

‘Did your partner force you to give up any cards you needed?’ Lumis asked, a little too hopefully.

‘Actually, what just happened is quite the opposite, Rare Hunter,’ Kaiba said. ‘Without the ability to sacrifice, I wasn’t able to summon the monster in my hand. But now I can.’ He was quite satisfied to see the looks of horror on their faces. ‘Watch closely.’ He activated the card. ‘Reveal Monster Reborn!’ The card flipped up. ‘Now, I can bring back the powerful monster I just sent to the graveyard…’ His prized beast appeared on the field with a mighty roar. ‘…my Blue Eyes White Dragon!’

Lumis cried out.

‘It’s not possible!’ Umbra insisted.

‘It is,’ Yugi said.

‘This is the price you pay for using my little brother to get to me!’ Kaiba was relishing every moment of this. ‘Now, maybe you’ll think twice before disrespecting the Kaiba family.’ He pointed at them. ‘Now go, my Blue Eyes!’


	23. Double Duel Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Eyes White Dragon is on the field.

‘My Blue Eyes has arrived!’ Kaiba was relishing the feeling of having his Blue Eyes White Dragon out on the field. This was no different. ‘You’re done. Thanks to my Monster Reborn magic card, I was able to bring my great beast back from the graveyard.’

‘And this is just the beginning,’ Yugi said.

‘Heh!’ Lumis glared at them.

‘Kaiba and I make a powerful team and you two Rare Hunters are no match for the combined strength of our decks. And when we prevail, you will lead us to where you are holding Mokuba and the others captive!’

Kaiba smirked. ‘Heh. I think what my partner is trying to say is that thanks to my superior skills, you’re finished. Right?’

‘Not quite,’ Yugi said. A slow smirk crossed his face.

‘Don’t tell me you’re still stuck on this “team-work” thing, Yugi.’ Kaiba rolled his eyes. ‘It’s getting a little old. Listen up. Here’s the deal. I’ll win this duel on my own. And, if it’s convenient for me, I might help you but don’t mistake that for teamwork or you’ll be very disappointed. I’m in this for Mokuba. Got it?’ He couldn’t have Yugi thinking he actually cared about him or his friends. ‘And I will do whatever it takes to defeat these Rare Hunters and free my brother. I’m not about to lose.’

‘Don’t push that too much, Kaiba,’ Sharee said. ‘I might stop believing it.’

‘Huh?’ Kaiba glanced at her. What was that supposed to mean? He could think on it later. Right now, he had a duel to win. ‘These fools don’t realise: no one disrespects my family and gets away with it.’

‘This isn’t only about you!’ Yugi snapped. ‘My friends are in danger as well.’

‘That’s your problem, Yugi,’ Kaiba said. ‘I’m duelling for me.’

‘But, Kaiba, you need my help and I need yours. Lumis and Umbra still have the upper hand.’

What a joke. Kaiba had his Blue Eyes out. The only one here who had the upper hand was him. With his Dragon out, defeating these two and saving Mokuba by himself would be child’s play.

Lumis pointed. ‘Your partner is right. You may have summoned your Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba, but it’s useless against the ultimate power of our Masked Beast. Our camouflage creature has two hundred more attack points than your pathetic Dragon. As soon as it attacks, your Blue Eyes will be gone!’ He laughed.

Kaiba tensed. He’d forgotten about that.

‘He’s wrong, Kaiba,’ Yugi suddenly said. ‘You can destroy their monster.’

What? Kaiba looked over. ‘I can?’

‘Look, if you want to win you’re going to have to trust me on this,’ Yugi said. ‘Like it or not, we’re a team. And if you attack them with your Blue Eyes White Dragon, I promise I’ll back you up. Trust me.’

Trust…Trust wasn’t something that came easily to Kaiba. Ever since his parents died, he hadn’t been able to trust anyone – except Mokuba, of course. Every other person had lied to him and betrayed him. They’d all wanted something from him, or they’d wanted something from Mokuba. Kaiba had been the only thing in the way those times. Now, though, Yugi was the one asking him for trust.

Kaiba ground his teeth. _Is this some sort of trick? Why would Yugi tell me to attack a monster that’s stronger than mine? I smell a rat._

‘Attack them, Kaiba!’ Yugi repeated himself. ‘Do it!’

On the other hand, what could Yugi stand to gain from this? If one lost, they both lost. Yugi was always trying to save his friends. Why would he jeopardise that? Did Yugi have something up his sleeve? Thinking back, had Yugi ever even indicated that he might betray someone? The answer was no. Yugi didn’t have to save both him and Mokuba from Pegasus, after all, but he did. He stood to gain nothing from it. Yugi had still saved them.

Kaiba smirked. ‘I will, Yugi. It’s not in your best interest to give me bad advice, cause you’d lose too.’ He gave the order. ‘Now, my Blue Eyes, attack their Masked Beast!’ The Blue Eyes rose up and roared, eliciting a scream from Lumis. ‘White Lightning!’ The Dragon charged forward. It opened its mouth and the bright, powerful attack began to build in its mouth. This better work! The blast surged forth. It crossed the field and hit its target. The Masked Beast was destroyed. ‘Your Masked Beast is gone!’

‘That’s not possible!’ Umbra insisted.

‘Our Masked Beast was more powerful than your Blue Eyes White Dragon.’ Lumis searched for an explanation. ‘You must’ve cheated!’

Yes, Kaiba was rather confused himself. Yugi would probably be the only one who knew what’d just happened.

‘He’s right!’ Umbra’s eyes were fixed on both of them. ‘It’s a trick!’

‘Guess again.’ At least Yugi explained without being asked. ‘Your creature was beaten by Kaiba’s Blue Eyes fair and square. Please allow me to explain, Rare Hunters. When I sent my Beast of Gilfer to the card graveyard last turn I activated its special ability. It reduces the attack points of any monster I choose by 500, and I chose your Masked Beast! Lowering its attack points to 2700 and making it weaker than Kaiba’s Blue Eyes. And now, in case you haven’t noticed, you have no monsters on the field to protect your life points so, when Kaiba attacks you again, you’ll be finished.’

Okay, now it made sense.

‘Kaiba.’ Yugi addressed him now. ‘You need my help more than you think.’

Kaiba growled lowly. That was just annoying. There was no possible way he could deny that, without Yugi’s Beast of Gilfer there, he would’ve lost his Blue Eyes. That could have easily cost him the duel. _Yugi’s trying to take all the glory for defeating their creature, but it was my Blue Eyes that did all the work! And we’ll win this duel thanks to me._ He forced himself to calm down. It was about as successful as it usually was. ‘Well, my turn is over. But this duel has only just begun, and the next time I attack you two will be begging for mercy. So go ahead and make your pathetic move, Lumis. There’s no hope for you now.’

‘We’ll see about that.’ Lumis drew, the grin on his face now looking forced. He still chuckled and played his card though. ‘I’ll place this monster in defence mode.’ The card appeared on the field, face-down. ‘Then I’ll place two more cards face-down and that shall end my turn.’ The cards in question appeared on the field.

Kaiba saw, out of the corner of his eye, Yugi muttered something to himself.

Lumis pointed at Yugi. ‘And now thanks to my two magic Mask cards that are still on the field, Mask of the Accursed and Mask of Dispel, you lose 1000 more life points, Yugi. So go ahead and draw a card. Nothing can save you now!’ He roared in laughter.

Yugi drew, even as his life points dropped to 1500. ‘All right, Lumis, I’ll place one card face-down.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘And then I’ll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior.’ It appeared, and emerged from its card, in attack mode. ‘Alpha, attack now!’ His second Magnet Warrior charged across the field and destroyed the defence monster.

Lumis ground his teeth.

***

‘There’s no way these Rare Hunters are gonna get away with this, Téa,’ Mokuba said. ‘As soon as my brother finds us, those jerks are gonna pay!’

Téa was always amazed at the devotion and conviction between those Kaiba brothers. It was odd, considering how Kaiba acted towards everyone else. Sharee had once called it “indicative”. Thing was, she never told them what it indicated about those brothers.

‘I just wish there was a way to get in touch with Seto and let him know where we are,’ he went on. ‘But they took my laptop. I guess we just gotta wait it out. Sooner or later, he’ll track us down.’

Téa looked up. She’d been trying to get out that window before. She’d fallen short by no more than an inch. She hadn’t been able to see exactly how far, but, either way, it should be the way to get Mokuba out. ‘Maybe there’s a way for you to get to him.’

‘Huh?’

***

The ropes had cut off Joey’s circulation. The pins and needles had already passed. His hands and feet no longer had any feeling in them. He hoped Yugi would find them and show up soon. A voice outside made Joey lift his head. His eyes glinted as the door opened.

‘I trust you’ve made yourself at home in there.’ The man who walked in was tall and had some kind of weird tattoo down the side of his face. ‘Rise and shine.’

Joey wasn’t actually sure it was a tattoo. He ground his teeth. ‘So what’s the deal with all of this, you caped clown?’

‘You’ll learn what we have planned for you soon enough,’ the Rare Hunter said. ‘For now you are to keep quiet and do what you’re told to do.’

They seriously expected that? ‘Or what? You Rare Hunters think you’re so tough, don’t you? Running around in your dark hoods!’ Joey lifted his head. ‘Why don’t you untie me from this chair and I’ll show you what being a tough guy’s all about, you tattoo-faced freak of nature? So what’s it gonna be? Let me go now and I’ll go easy on you.’

The Rare Hunter lifted his hand.

‘Hey! Keep your grubby paws off of me, will you? If you touch me, you’ll be sorry!’ Joey struggled against the ropes, but it didn’t last for long.

Joey’s world went black.

***

They had the boxes piled up again. This time Téa was not trying to get herself up to the window. ‘Okay, Mokuba, this is the last one.’ She handed him the box.

‘Thanks, Téa.’ Mokuba put the box on top.

Laughter through the door suddenly got her attention.

‘I think I can reach now,’ Mokuba said.

‘Hurry up!’ Téa insisted. ‘Someone’s coming!’

‘Now’s our chance!’ Mokuba hopped up onto the top box. ‘Come on. Let’s go, Téa.’

Téa knew she couldn’t get out. ‘I’ll stay. You go and find your brother and Yugi!’

The door opened. ‘Hey, you!’

‘Go!’ Téa called.

‘I’m going!’ Mokuba grabbed the windowsill and hauled himself up.

The boxes fell…and so did Téa.

***

‘Okay, Umbra,’ Lumis said. ‘Let’s teach these fools a lesson, shall we?’

‘All right!’

Shamee watched as Umbra drew. She knew, as Sharee did, that Kaiba’s pride was the only problem here. If he put that aside and worked with the Pharaoh, instead of just next to him this duel, would already be over. They were the most skilled duellists in the world and the most powerful souls she’d ever encountered, she was sure. Pegasus had seen it too, in Kaiba at least. That was why he’d decided rather than simply killing him, he’d take his soul when he lost that duel.

Umbra looked at the card in his hand and then he set it. ‘I’m gonna play Rogue Doll.’ He laid the card and it appeared on the field, emerging from its card.

Kaiba scoffed. ‘Don’t you think that you’re just a little too old to be playing with dollies, Rare Hunter? Especially ones that have such low attack points.’

Kaiba may have been too arrogant to think it through but Sharee was just as suspicious as Shamee herself was. _Why play such a monster against the Blue Eyes in attack mode?_

Lumis sniggered.

Umbra then, of all things, gave an offensive. ‘All right, Rouge Doll, attack his Blue Eyes White Dragon now!’

Kaiba just smirked.

Shamee felt like he needed the prod. ‘Kaiba, will you pull your head out of the sand and think? They’ve already displayed that they’re not idiots.’

Kaiba didn’t acknowledge her this time.

Lumis sniggered. ‘It’s time to activate the card I have face down!’ The card in question flipped up. ‘Mask of Weakness!’ He laughed.

Kaiba suddenly saw the sense in her words. His pupils visibly retracted, even from the distance she was standing at. ‘What is that?’ he demanded. The card activated and clamped onto the Blue Eyes. ‘What’s your Mask doing to my Blue Eyes?’ The Dragon roared in pain.

‘Don’t you know?’ Lumis asked. ‘Well, as its name suggests, Kaiba, my Mask of Weakness is weakening your Blue Eyes!’ The Dragon’s attack dropped to 2300. A second card flipped up and activated. ‘And then I’ll play Mask of Brutality, which gives Rouge Doll 1000 extra attack points, making it stronger than your Blue Eyes. It’s all over, Kaiba!’

Shamee, knowing the Pharaoh had already set down a card against those ones, turned her gaze to him. After all, while Kaiba had been gloating through the whole duel, the Pharaoh had considered them genuine threats. He knew they weren’t idiots and he knew, with Marik around, it wasn’t going to be an easy duel – especially considering Kaiba’s pigheadedness.  
‘Thanks to the magic cards, your Blue Eyes pales in comparison to my monster.’ Umbra gave the order. ‘Rouge Doll, smash attack!’

The Pharaoh acted. ‘Not so fast, Umbra! There’s two of us.’ And it was clear they’d forgotten that. ‘So I’ll activate this trap, Mystical Refpanel!’ The card flipped up. He waited for their grunts of annoyance. Kaiba looked pretty annoyed to be saved by him again. The Pharaoh ignored all that. ‘Looks like you forgot you’re duelling against a team and that trap card just   
saved my team-mate’s Blue Eyes!’ The card activated and the trap appeared on the field. The Mask of Brutality glowed.

‘Hey, what happened to my monster’s mask?’ Umbra demanded.

The Pharaoh explained as it happened. ‘My Mystical Refpanel takes the power of your magic card and transfers it to Kaiba’s Dragon, which raises its attack points by 1000, making it stronger than your Rouge Doll.’

The attack of the Blue Eyes went up to 3300. ‘Blue Eyes White Dragon attack!’ Kaiba ordered. The Dragon roared and attacked. The blast crossed the field as Kaiba ground his teeth again. The Rogue Doll was destroyed.

‘All right, Rare Hunters,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Your monster has been destroyed.’

‘Lumis, look what you’ve just done!’ Umbra was quick to blame his team-mate as his life points dropped to 2000.

‘What do you mean what I’ve done?’ Lumis demanded.

‘Because of you, I’m down to 2000 life points!’ Umbra clenched his fist. ‘So that’s what I mean!’

‘Oh, yeah?’ Lumis demanded. ‘Well you’re blaming me for that? As I recall, Rouge Doll was your monster!’

_**How interesting.** _

_What? That they don’t work together well when they’re losing?_

_**Yeah. It’s the perfect time…**_ Shamee let her eyes flicker first to the Pharaoh. He was looking at his own team-mate. So he’d noticed too. Their teamwork was slipping as theirs was beginning to come together. It was clear in Kaiba’s heart that he’d acknowledged he couldn’t win this alone. Speaking of which, Shamee turned her gaze to Kaiba. _**I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.**_

Umbra turned back to them. ‘This battle is far from over! Your Blue Eyes may have defeated my monster this time but I have a card in my hand that will annihilate it for good!’ He pulled a card from his hand. ‘I place one card face-down and end my turn.’ The card appeared on the field.

***

The Pharaoh watched as Kaiba took his turn.

‘It’s time to finish this duel. Let’s go.’ The Dragon roared behind him. ‘Behold my Blue Eyes in all its fury! Prepare to lose this duel, Umbra! Blue Eyes, direct attack now!’ The Dragon let its blast fly and it crossed the field, heading right for Umbra. ‘Say goodbye to the rest of your life points, Umbra!’

The Pharaoh started. He realised, in the background, that it was more Yugi’s worry than his own. _Kaiba’s making a hasty move and a selfish one too! He’s so caught up in winning this duel on his own, he didn’t even think about Umbra’s face-down card. He could be falling right into a trap._ The Pharaoh looked at the direction of the blast.

‘I thought you’d try that!’ Umbra activated his face-down card. ‘So I’ll activate this: Mask of Impregnability.’ The Mask appeared on the field. ‘It protects me from direct attacks for one turn. Oh, well. Nice try, Kaiba.’ The blast hit the Mask and was stopped in its tracks. Umbra smirked. ‘Looks like your Blue Eyes mirage failed!’ He laughed. ‘That was quite a predictable move, Kaiba, and one which I was well-prepared to deflect. So I have emerged untouched.’

But Kaiba was smirking himself. He turned to look at the other one. ‘But what about your friend Lumis?’

‘Ee?’ Lumis sounded confused, however the Pharaoh quickly saw what Kaiba was doing.

‘Yes, Lumis,’ Kaiba said. ‘Don’t you wonder what would’ve happened had my Blue Eyes White Dragon attacked you instead of Umbra?’ The smug look on his face got more pronounced. ‘Would he have protected you with his magic card? Or would he have let you lose?’

Lumis looked sufficiently horrified. He then growled.

_What’s Kaiba doing?_ Yugi wondered in genuine confusion.

_**He’s playing on the rift in their team.**_ The Pharaoh easily explained it. _**He’s widening it so that they’re less of a team than we are and we can defeat them. Kaiba would rather do that than work together with us.**_

Kaiba went on. ‘That’s the danger in depending on someone else to help you when the reality is there’s only one person you can trust: yourself. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying.’

It had the desired effect. Lumis tensed and glared at his partner.

‘What?’ Umbra demanded. ‘Don’t listen to him! Of course I would’ve used my magic card to help you, even though I’m sure you wouldn’t do the same thing for me, Lumis!’

Lumis growled.

_Now I get it!_ The Pharaoh smiled in amusement as Yugi summed it up in his own words. _He noticed that Lumis and Umbra were beginning to doubt one another’s loyalty, so he’s taking advantage of that and trying to destroy their team-trust!_

Lumis was just glaring at his team-mate. He suddenly faced them, shaking in rage. ‘This duel is over!’ He took a few minutes and then drew. ‘Now I’ll draw.’ He looked at the card he hand. ‘The magic card, Pot of Greed. Thanks to this card, I can now draw two new cards from my deck, Kaiba.’ He played the Pot of Greed and drew the cards he was allowed. He looked at them. ‘Hm.’ He took a card from his hand. ‘I will play one card face-down.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘And then…I’ll activate card exchange!’ The card activated. ‘Playing this card allows me to exchange my entire hand with that of any other duellist on the field.’ He looked to his right. ‘And I choose you, Umbra!’

‘Huh?’ Umbra looked nervous.

‘If you’re not going to use your cards to help me, then I’ll simply take them,’ Lumis said.

‘How dare you!’ Umbra snapped.

Lumis walked over. ‘All right, Umbra, according to the rules we swap hands so give me all of your cards now.’ He held his hand out.

‘Here!’ Umbra slapped the cards into Lumis’s hand, his temper clearly foul.

‘And now I will activate my face-down magic card.’ Lumis did exactly that as he turned back to them. The card flipped up. ‘Chosen One! If this works, you two are finished!’

The Pharaoh immediately realised what it was, and he didn’t doubt Kaiba did too.

Lumis was gloating though, as he returned to his roof panel. ‘I’ll explain. First I’ll place three cards face-down on the field.’ He did so and all three cards appeared, in a circle. ‘And in the centre of these three cards goes the Chooser.’ The device appeared in the middle of the circle. Like most of their other cards, it had a mask on it. ‘The Chooser will select one card at random. If it choses one of my two magic cards, all three cards go to the graveyard.’

‘Those are my cards you’re risking!’ Umbra protested.

Lumis sneered at him. ‘I’m afraid they’re not your cards anymore, Umbra.’

Umbra gave him a hard glare. ‘If this doesn’t work you’ll be sorry, Lumis.’

‘Now, Chooser, make your selection!’ Lumis ordered. As it started spinning, Lumis went on with his explanation. ‘I forgot to mention that if the Chooser selects my third card, I’ll be able to summon an all-powerful monster to the field without having to sacrifice a weaker monster first! And you’ll both be finished.’ He laughed maniacally.

Both the Pharaoh and Kaiba tensed in anticipation.

‘It’s starting to slow down.’ Lumis said what everyone could see. ‘It’s choosing a card!’ The Chooser stopped. A light shot out of the mask’s forehead and hit the card it was facing. ‘That’s it!’ Lumis chuckled. ‘It’s chosen my ultimate monster!’

The Pharaoh tensed. He saw, out of his peripheral vision, Kaiba did the same.

‘Now the end is near!’ Lumis crowed. As he laughed, the selected card flipped up on the field and the other two disappeared. ‘I summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius!’ The monster slashed its way out of its card and there it stood, long claws and three heads all woven together. Lumis crowed. ‘It’s unstoppable!’

Kaiba gasped. ‘It’s more powerful than my Blue Eyes White Dragon!’

The Pharaoh drew back, his mind racing.

‘Very observant, Kaiba,’ Lumis said. ‘Des Gardius could demolish your pathetic Blue Eyes White Dragon with one swipe of its almighty claw!’ He laughed.

Umbra looked at him. ‘You’re lucky the outcome of your move was successful.’

‘Yes, and now Des Gardius has been unleashed. There’s no stopping it! My masked creature is so powerful, you two pitiful duellists won’t stand a chance against it. And when its through with you, your Blue Eyes will be in the graveyard and both of your Egyptian God Cards will belong to Master Marik!’

_Oh, no!_ Yugi was frantic. _We’ve got to defeat their monster, otherwise I may never see my friends again! But how can we take down something that powerful?_

Lumis wasn’t finished yet. ‘And, now, the question is which one of you fools should I attack first? Decisions, decisions! I could attack you, Yugi, with your useless Magnet Warriors protecting you, I’d wipe out the rest of your life points. Then again…’ His eyes shifted. ‘…there’s Kaiba. I could attack your Blue Eyes and rid the field of that menace for good.’

‘It doesn’t really matter who you attack next!’ Umbra insisted. ‘It’s only a matter of time before both of their life points reach zero, and they’re sent plummeting into the Shadow Realm forever!’

The Pharaoh’s eyes shifted back to the counter.

‘Exactly!’ Lumis crowed. ‘So forget about rescuing your friends! They belong to Marik now!’


	24. Double Duel Part IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for this double duel to end.

‘One of you two fools is about to feel the fury of my creature, Des Gardius,’ Lumis said, gloating. ‘But which one?’ His eyes flickered between the both of them. ‘If I attack you, Yugi, my beast will wipe out the rest of your life points. And if I choose you, Kaiba, your Blue Eyes will be a meal for my Des Gardius.’

‘And don’t forget what happens when your life points reach zero!’ Umbra felt the need to remind them. ‘Your Shadow Box will destroy the surface below you and send you plunging into the Shadow Realm for eternity!’

Kaiba gritted his teeth.

Lumis added his two cents in. ‘And your friends will join our army of Rare Hunters and serve Master Marik. Now the time has come for me to decide which one of you pathetic nitwits to attack with Des Gardius. Who will it be?’ It was clear he’d already decided. ‘Do you give up? I choose you, Yugi Moto.’

Yugi growled.

Umbra glared at him. ‘Wait. We’re supposed to be a team, Lumis. That means we both get a say in this decision. While I agree we have to destroy Yugi, leaving Kaiba’s Blue Eyes White Dragon on the field would be an extremely foolish mistake.’

Kaiba had already been thinking.

Lumis didn’t agree. ‘No! It’s my move and I choose Yugi.’

‘I knew it.’ Kaiba also knew if he didn’t speak up now, they’d lose the duel and he’d lose his chance to save Mokuba. That was all there was to it, he swore. Kaiba closed his eyes and smirked. ‘I was wondering whether you’d have the guts to challenge my Blue Eyes White Dragon and now I know.’

Reasoning would clearly have no effect on him.

Lumis looked at him. His face was a picture of disbelief and outrage. ‘Know what?’

‘That you’re all talk and no action.’ Kaiba goaded him. ‘Only a coward would take the easy way out. Instead of flexing his muscles and attacking my monster.’ He watched Lumis, daring him to attack. Kaiba could see him falling for it.

‘All right! There’s been a change in plans.’ Lumis gave the order. ‘Des Gardius, destroy Kaiba’s Blue Eyes!’ Des Gardius attacked and the Blue Eyes White Dragon was shattered in front of him.

Kaiba winced. That had hurt to do, but it had to be done. His life points dropped to 1800.

Lumis laughed. ‘Guess you were wrong, Kaiba. No one calls me a coward and gets away with it.’

Kaiba ignored him. _Yugi better not make me regret saving him._ ‘Destroy them, Yugi.’

‘Yes.’ Yugi turned and faced the Rare Hunters again.

‘Remember,’ Lumis said. ‘Thanks to Mask of the Accursed and Mask of Dispel you lose another thousand life points.’

Yugi drew as his life points dropped to 500. Regardless of what he did here, this was his last turn. Knowing Yugi, this was probably going to be a good one. After all, they were in the brink of losing if he was subjected to another turn. As Kaiba had once said, Yugi had an uncanny ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Yugi knew it too. ‘Fine, this duel is almost over anyway.’ He looked at the card he’d drawn. He pulled another card from his hand. ‘You’ll regret not attacking me…’ Oh, so he did have something. ‘…when I play the card in my hand and destroy you!’ The statement clearly scared Lumis.

‘What?’ Lumis demanded. ‘It can’t be!’

‘Attacking Blue Eyes was a big mistake,’ Kaiba said. ‘Cause now Yugi has something even worse in store for you.’

‘It’s a lie!’ Lumis insisted.

Umbra didn’t seem to want to believe it either. ‘You can’t summon high power monsters because of my trap card!’

Yugi stated what they were overlooking. ‘Your trap card only prevents us from sacrificing, but that’s not the only way to summon powerful monsters, Umbra.’ He played the card. ‘So I play this: Gamma the Magnet Warrior!’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it. ‘And now that I have three Magnet Warriors on the field at the same time, I can activate their special ability. Monster Transform!’

Both Lumis and Umbra started. ‘Transform? What?’

‘Yes.’ All three of Yugi’s monsters came apart and reformed as one. ‘All three creatures will transform into one mighty warrior with triple the attack strength.’ The Mask on Alpha was destroyed by the effect. The creature assembled and appeared on the field.

‘What is that?’ Lumis demanded as it glowed brightly.

‘Behold, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!’

It had a destructive power of 3500. ‘Consider this attack payback for destroying my Blue Eyes, Lumis,’ Kaiba said.

‘Fine, Kaiba.’

‘Yugi’s Valkyrion has 200 more attack points than your Des Gardius, so with one swing of its sword it can completely annihilate your Masked Beast.’ Kaiba smirked again. ‘Tough break, Lumis.’ Kaiba looked over. ‘Yugi, it’s time to take our revenge for my Blue Eyes White Dragon, so what are you waiting for?’

Yugi looked at him.

‘I’ve been patient long enough,’ Kaiba insisted. ‘Stop stalling and attack them! Now, prove you’re not scared and avenge the destruction of my Blue Eyes White Dragon.’

Yugi looked at the opposing monster. His eyes then locked on Lumis’s face, then Umbra’s. Clearly, he was judging whether or not the attack was a wise one. Kaiba, quite frankly, didn’t care.

‘Do it, Yugi!’ Kaiba snapped. ‘Destroy their monster now!’

‘Go ahead, Yugi,’ Lumis said. ‘Make your move.’

Yugi’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Umbra pressed next. ‘Make your move, Yugi.’

Still, Yugi did nothing but stare.

‘What are you waiting for?’ Kaiba demanded. ‘I gave up my Blue Eyes for you and let you summon your monster and this is the thanks I get? Now, destroy their monster so I can move one step closer to finding my little brother!’ He ignored Sharee’s scowl at him. Would Yugi just hurry up? ‘And do it right now or you’ll be sorry!’

‘Geez, Kaiba!’ Sharee told him. ‘Wind down. You know how good Yugi is. If he’s hesitating, there’s a reason for it.’

Yugi simply closed his eyes and took a card from his hand. ‘I’ll place one card face-down.’ The card appeared on the field. Yugi then looked over at him. ‘Kaiba, if you ever want to see Mokuba again we’ll have to duel intelligently. Anger will only cloud your reason.’

Kaiba faced him. ‘You’re wrong!’

‘You must try to put your frustration aside and trust in the Heart of the Cards,’ Yugi said. ‘Unless you do, you’ll be playing right into the hands of the Rare Hunters.’

Kaiba wasn’t having any of that. ‘That’s nonsense! We have to crush them now!’

‘You’re losing focus, Kaiba!’ Yugi snapped. ‘If you want to win, you must believe in your deck.’

Kaiba ground his teeth. _Heart of the Cards! Who needs it?_ Kaiba may have liked to pretend he didn’t believe in it, but really he did. He’d seen it work himself. After all, during that duel with Pegasus, what were the odds of him pulling those cards? The Blue Eyes White Dragon and Shadow Spell? But Kaiba wasn’t going to admit he believed in it. _The only way to win this duel is to play my Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor._ It was sitting in his hand. _But in order to summon it, I need to sacrifice three monsters and as long as their Mask of Restrict is in play we’re not allowed to sacrifice anything!_ It suddenly hit him. _That’s it! It’s right in front of me! A way to summon my Egyptian God Card even with their Mask on the field._ He looked over. _But it can only work if Yugi’s willing to give up his monster. I gave up my Blue Eyes White Dragon to help him so it’s only fair that he makes a sacrifice._ Kaiba looked back across the field again. _I don’t like depending on anyone but myself, but I’ll do what I have to do…to save my brother._ ‘Yugi, we can win.’

Yugi looked at him and smiled. ‘Right.’ Somehow, he seemed to understand. ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack their monster now!’ Valkyrion charged. The blade lit up with electricity and sliced through Des Gardius. The monster was destroyed. ‘It’s gone.’

Lumis’s life points dropped to 3800. ‘You may have destroyed my beast, Yugi, but you’ve also activated its special ability.’

‘What special ability?’ Kaiba demanded. Was this what Yugi had been hesitating about? Had he been worried about doing what’d just been done?

‘When Des Gardius is sent to the graveyard it leaves behind three masks…’ All of them were lying on the field in front of him. ‘…which combine to form a new, more powerful mask: the Mask of Remnants!’ Just that happened and the Mask appeared on the field. It was an ugly, horned thing. Lumis laughed in triumph.

Yugi made a surprised sound.

‘As revenge for your attack, this Mask allows me to control one of your monsters as if it were my own,’ Lumis said. The Mask launched forward. ‘And since you only have one monster, it’s a good thing “one size fits all”.’ It clamped itself onto Valkyrion. Yugi’s Warrior crossed the field as the Mask took effect. Lumis cackled. ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior belongs to me now, and you’re in trouble.’

‘Excellent work,’ Umbra said.

‘Thank you.’ Lumis turned back to them. ‘You’re through, Yugi. Your defences are gone and the Shadow Realm awaits. Destroy Yugi on this turn, Umbra, then I’ll take out Kaiba myself.’

‘With pleasure.’

‘I’ll make sure Kaiba never sees his runt of a brother again, and then I send him to join Yugi in the Shadow Realm!’

Kaiba’s muscles tensed at the “runt of a brother”.

‘Let’s do it.’ Umbra drew. He looked at his card. ‘Perfect.’ He made his move. ‘Farewell, Yugi.’ A card appeared on the field, face-down. It flipped up. ‘I activate Masquerade. The effect flowed out of the card and covered Valkyrion. With this magic card in play, I’m able to control one of Lumis’s monsters as if it were my monster.’ He called out the attack and it charged. ‘So, my Magna Warrior, attack and destroy your former master, Yugi!’

Kaiba looked over at Yugi. He couldn’t help him this time.

Lumis and Umbra were both grinning in triumph. ‘Goodbye.’

Yugi smirked. ‘Don’t celebrate just yet.’

Why did Yugi always have something?

‘Huh?’ Lumis demanded.

‘Reveal my face-down card!’ The card in question flipped up. ‘De-Fusion! It will break down your monster into its three separate parts and destroy your Mask.’ As he said it, that all happened.

‘Oh, no!’ Lumis cried.

Umbra stated the obvious. ‘Our attack just failed!’

‘Are you shocked?’ Yugi asked. ‘I’m afraid you’re no match for our combined skills, Rare Hunters.’

‘It’s my turn.’ Kaiba drew. ‘Behold my Egyptian God Card.’

‘Not quite!’ Even as Lumis denied it, he looked nervous. ‘As long as my Mask of Restrict is in effect, you can’t summon it. You would have to sacrifice three monsters and my Mask prevents that!’

‘Wrong,’ Kaiba said. ‘Your Mask only stops me from sacrificing my own monster. But I plan to sacrifice your monsters instead, Lumis, with this card.’ He played the card he’d just pulled from his hand. It appeared on the field and flipped up. ‘Now, I activate the magic card Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice your three Magnet Warriors.’ The effects of the card crossed the field in energy rings. It encompassed all three monsters.

‘Don’t let them get away with this!’ Umbra yelled. ‘Do something, Lumis!’

‘We’re finished!’ Lumis insisted. ‘If Kaiba summons Obelisk the Tormentor we’ll have no hope of winning this duel! We must stop him or Marik will be furious.’

Yugi was watching with a satisfied smirk.

The three Magnet Warriors were swept up in a tornado as the sacrificing came to a finish. ‘I warned you two clowns,’ Kaiba said, relishing their unhidden fear. The wind of the summoning blew all of their clothes back. ‘This is for my little brother!’ The field lit up. Obelisk the Tormentor began to rise out of the field. ‘You’ve been talking about winning my Egyptian God Card this entire duel. Now it’s time for you to experience its power!’ Kaiba laughed.

***

The Pharaoh watched Obelisk the Tormentor rise up onto the field. He also watched Kaiba out of the corner of his eyes. If he had been asked, he’d say Kaiba was a bit too drunk on the power from that God Card. It would definitely be bad for him to get the other two.

Kaiba called out his order. ‘Obelisk the Tormentor, arise and wreck your ultimate revenge!’ He watched the Rare Hunters gawk in horror. ‘It’s payback time for kidnapping Mokuba, so prepare to feel a force like no other.’ He called the attack. ‘And now, it’s time. Obelisk, attack Umbra’s life points directly!’ Obelisk punched, throwing all of his Godly power behind it. Umbra screamed when he saw it coming at him. The blast the came from his fist entirely enveloped the Rare Hunter.

‘Umbra, no!’ Lumis called, but the Pharaoh couldn’t see him through all the light.

The attack ended and Umbra collapsed. He wasn’t gone, but he would be soon. The field smoked from the attack. Umbra groaned, stunned and pained. The Pharaoh did feel sorry for him, but he had brought it upon himself, really.

‘Hey, Umbra.’ Lumis stepped towards him. ‘Are you all right?’

Kaiba spoke up again, somewhat back to normal. ‘He’s fine for now, but thanks to my Egyptian God Card, his life points don’t look so good.’ He waited until Lumis turned and looked at him before he continued that one. ‘It seems like you’ve fallen victim to your own trap, Rare Hunters.’

Horror took hold of both their faces as they realised what was about to happen. As Kaiba had said, they fell into their own trap and they would soon learn what a sick one it was. The life point counter hit zero and the glass cracked. It gave way beneath him and Umbra fell with a cry of one, drawn-out, word. ‘No!’

‘Umbra!’ Lumis called.

The Pharaoh looked down and watched him fall. Partway down, a parachute was released from his back. It saved his life but nothing could save his mind. The parachute got caught on a flagpole, stopping Umbra’s descent. He hung there, limply. The Pharaoh knew that he would never move again. His mind was gone.

Lumis still called down to him in desperation. ‘Umbra, come back, please! You can’t leave me here!’

The Pharaoh looked back at him. ‘Too late for that.’ He did regret the loss but if one brought it upon themselves, it was their just desserts. ‘It looks like you’re duelling alone now, doesn’t it? The odds are certainly against you, Lumis.’

Lumis spun around. He ground his teeth and growled audibly.

The Pharaoh threw the last bit in. ‘And you’re powerless against our Egyptian God Card. If you want to avoid any further danger, then you’d better surrender.’

Lumis dropped to his knees.

‘Don’t let him off the hook yet,’ Kaiba said, temper clear in his voice. ‘My monster is just getting warmed up. And Lumis needs to pay for what he’s done.’ He glared at the Rare Hunter in question. ‘He disrespected my family!’

‘Stop, Kaiba!’ the Pharaoh snapped at him. He always could mention how Marik had his Rare Hunters attack Sharee’s family too, but Kaiba likely wouldn’t care about that. It was better to just say the important thing. ‘Revenge isn’t going to help you find Mokuba. Perhaps if we allow him to surrender, he’ll tell us where they’re hiding the prisoners.’

Kaiba let out a “hmph”. ‘Yugi, wise up. We must destroy right now.’

Lumis suddenly cried out.

‘Too late,’ Shamee said.

‘No, master!’ Lumis begged and grabbed his head. ‘Please don’t be angry! We tried our best!’

‘What now?’ Kaiba demanded irritably.

Shamee gave him a flat look. ‘I believe Marik is using him as a median.’

Lumis kept begging. ‘Master, please don’t! No!’ He cried out. ‘Marik, I’m sorry!’ His body suddenly went limp but he remained on his feet.

Marik laughed and began speaking through Lumis. ‘I see that you have defeated my Rare Hunters. That’s all right. They did their job.’

‘What have you done with my friends, Marik?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

Marik chuckled.

‘This Rare Hunter’s gone mad!’ Kaiba insisted.

‘Luck is not so kind,’ Shamee said.

The Pharaoh knew what she meant by that. ‘He hasn’t gone mad, Kaiba. This Rare Hunter is under the control of a man named Marik.’

Kaiba drew back. ‘That is ridiculous, Yugi!’

‘Marik’s power is very real,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘And he is the one holding Mokuba captive.’

This got Kaiba’s full attention. ‘Well, tell me where this so-called Marik is hiding!’

Marik chuckled again. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know, Kaiba? Well, I’ll give you a hint. I’m closer than you think I am. I hope you enjoyed the special duel I set up for you. You fared better than I thought. But don’t think just because you beat my Rare Hunters that you’ll be rescuing your friends and family anytime soon. You see, I’ve been preparing for the next phase of my plan. And I’ve been studying each of your deck through the eyes of my Rare Hunters. As for your Egyptian God Card, Kaiba, Obelisk pales in comparison to my Winged Dragon of Ra Card. I’m afraid there’s no way it can stop me.’

Kaiba ground his teeth.

Marik went on, unhindered. ‘And once I defeat you, Obelisk will be in my deck. And I haven’t forgotten you, Yugi. Your Egyptian God Card and Millennium Puzzle will be mine as well. And since my Rare Hunters failed, I’ve come up with the perfect plan to defeat you once and for all, by playing upon your greatest weakness: your loyalty to your pathetic friends.’

‘Please!’ Shamee scoffed. ‘You’ve already proved to me that your planning skills are terrible. This is the second time you’ve done the same thing. Maybe this time you’ll learn.’

Marik laughed at her. ‘Oh, don’t worry. They’re safe and sound right here with me, but I don’t think they’re on your side anymore. It seems their allegiance lies with me. It’s funny how our friends are so quick to turn.’

The Pharaoh’s gut tightened.

‘You used the Millennium Rod on them.’ Shamee sighed. ‘In one ear, out the other.’

‘I’m the one you want, Marik!’ the Pharaoh snapped. ‘So leave my friends alone!’

‘Too late,’ Marik said. ‘I’m afraid those fools belong to me now, Yugi!’ He cackled in laughter.

‘You’re a coward,’ the Pharaoh stated. ‘Why don’t you face me already instead of hiding behind your mind slaves? Leave my friends alone, Marik, and tell me where they are!’

Kaiba strode forward. ‘Look, I don’t know who you are but you better tell me where Mokuba is.’ He grabbed Lumis by the collar and hauled him up in a threatening way. ‘I won this battle, so release my little brother just like you said you would, Rare Hunter. Right now!’

‘You trust me?’ Marik mocked him. ‘What a fool.’

Kaiba tightened the collar around Lumis’s neck. ‘Let him go!’

The Pharaoh walked over, Shamee at his shoulder. He lifted his hand. ‘Stop. You’re wasting your energy, Kaiba. He obviously has no intention of helping us find Mokuba and the others.’

‘Very perceptive,’ Marik sneered.

Kaiba reluctantly dropped him. The Rare Hunter fell to his knees. Marik laughed maniacally for a moment. Then, suddenly, it stopped. Lumis slumped to the ground fully. Shamee stepped around the Pharaoh and, leaning down, felt his neck. As she bent over, the Pharaoh noticed, she placed a bracing hand on her side.

Shamee nodded to herself and straightened up. ‘He’s in a coma.’

Kaiba growled in annoyance.

The Pharaoh turned to Kaiba. ‘All right, then, we’re going to have to track them down on our own, Kaiba. Maybe your satellite system can help.’

Shamee huffed.

‘Look, Yugi, first thing’s first.’ Kaiba looked down. ‘I think this Rare Hunter owes us something.’ He knelt down and, after rolling Lumis over, pulled two locator cards from the Rare Hunter’s cloak. Standing up again, he turned to the Pharaoh. ‘This was an official Battle City duel. That means the losers have to give up one locator card each to the winners. There’s one for each of us.’ He gave one of the cards to the Pharaoh. ‘That means we both have six. We’re each guaranteed a spot in the Battle City Finals now.’

‘Kaiba, how can you begin to think about the tournament after what Marik just said?’ the Pharaoh asked. ‘We have to find my friends and your brother right now.’

Kaiba turned away. ‘Hmph. I’m well aware of that, Yugi.’

‘Then help me think of a plan,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Every second counts.’

Suddenly they all heard helicopter blades.

Shamee lifted her arm to shield her eyes as the KaibaCorp chopper descended. ‘Well, that’s one outta three.’

***

Shamee wasn’t surprised when the chopper landed and Mokuba came out. She’d sensed his heart signature in there. As she’d said, that was one out of three. She was perfectly sure the ones who’d been captured were Joey and Tea. Marik really did have a lot to learn if he seriously expected world domination. Mokuba hopped out of the chopper and ran over to them.

‘Tell me, are you all right?’ At least that was Kaiba’s first concern.

Mokuba nodded. ‘Mm-hm. But I had to leave Téa behind.’

‘Is Téa okay?’ the Pharaoh asked. ‘And what about Joey and Tristan?’

‘Well, I’m not so sure about Joey or Tristan,’ Mokuba said. ‘But up until she helped me escape from the Rare Hunters, Téa was doing all right. We gotta go back there.’

‘Get in the chopper now,’ Kaiba told them.

Shamee and the Pharaoh both looked at him in confusion.

Kaiba didn’t hesitate in explaining. ‘Sounds like your friend, Téa, saved Mokuba’s life and, as much as I hate getting involved, I hate owing someone a favour even more.’

‘Thank you,’ the Pharaoh said.

Shamee was the last one to climb into the chopper, careful not to put too much stress onto Sharee’s wound. Soon, they were up in the air. There were only three seats so Shamee sat against the door after she closed it behind her. Mokuba was already on the computer, doing something or other.

‘Is our satellite tracking system working?’ Kaiba asked.

‘Yes,’ Mokuba said. ‘I’m picking up a weak signal from Joey’s duel disk. It’s coming from the same spot where those Rare Hunters were keeping me and Téa. We should be there in about fifteen minutes.’

Shamee and the Pharaoh both looked over at him.

‘Where was that?’ Shamee asked.

‘At the pier,’ Mokuba said.

Shamee smirked. ‘Brain the size of a gnat.’


	25. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a little talk between the ancients and the Kaiba brothers.

The Pharaoh watched the city pass by through the window. Shamee was sitting on the floor of the chopper, looking like she was asleep. The point was that she was simply focusing on the wound in her side. There was an old trick that most people weren’t aware of to heal. Shamee was using that. It was a form of meditation, in a way, as the modern world would call it.

Mokuba’s computer beeped. ‘The Rare Hunters’ hideout. We’re just about eleven miles away. I know exactly where those creeps are keeping Téa. And Joey should be nearby. We’ll get them both outta there in no time.’

‘I’m concerned with more important issues,’ Kaiba said. ‘Like finding the third Egyptian God Card.’ That statement made both the Pharaoh and Shamee look at him. Great Gods, didn’t he know when to stop? ‘Tell me, who exactly is this Marik? He leads the Rare Hunters but what else do you know about him?’

‘Simply put, he’s Ishizu’s possibly-insane younger brother,’ Shamee said.

‘Ishizu?’ Kaiba looked at her. ‘You mean that woman at the museum?’

‘Well, think about it, Kaiba.’ Shamee looked out the window across the cabin. ‘Her job was to hide the God Cards. She wouldn’t seriously have given one to you if she was just trying to get them back, would she? She could have just told you they existed, omitting the fact that she had one of them, and you still would have set up this tournament.’

Kaiba stared at Shamee. His thoughtful look made it clear that he was considering what she’d said and saw the sense in it. He would have thought the Rare Hunters had all three and set up the tournament to get them, completely unaware that Ishizu had one. That said, she had to have an ulterior motive. Kaiba closed his eyes. ‘So you know why I set this tournament up in the first place.’

‘Of course I did,’ Shamee said. ‘Why else would you set up a tournament?’ She paused. ‘And while we’re on the topic, about that Ra card.’

‘What about it?’ Kaiba asked.

Shamee fixed him with a hard look. ‘Marik might lack the ability to tell the difference between blackmail and just ticking off dangerous people, but he isn’t a total idiot. He already lost one God Card to Yugi. He won’t be so stupid as to lose the second in the same way. I doubt we’ll see the Winged Dragon of Ra until Marik decides to come out of the shadows and face us properly.’

Kaiba made a “hmph” sound. ‘All that tells me about Marik is that he’s Ishizu’s brother. I need more information than that.’

The Pharaoh looked out the window again. ‘Well, unlike Sharee, I’ve never actually seen his face. But I know he possesses a Millennium Item, much like my own Millennium Puzzle and Sharee’s Millennium Bandanna.’ It was rather a pain too. Sharee had said he had a rather generic appearance.

Kaiba made an irritated sound in his throat. ‘Those again? Spare me the bogus magic-talk, Yugi.’

Now it was the Pharaoh’s turn to be irritated. ‘Kaiba, you have already experienced the great power of a Millennium Item firsthand.’ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Kaiba’s face tightened either in disgust or rage. Perhaps it was both. Looked like he needed a little push. ‘Or have you forgotten about Pegasus and his Millennium Eye?’

***

‘That was just a cheap trick!’ Kaiba insisted.

Despite what he said, Shamee felt the fear and anger boiling in his heart. She’d never actually been around Kaiba while they spoke of this. Now, feeling what was in his heart, a theory began to occur to her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before. After all it was “an old trick” that Sharee’s family had been using for generations.

What if Kaiba wasn’t a sceptic?

Mokuba sure wasn’t. He was quick to protest to his brother’s statement. ‘But, Seto, Pegasus did use his Millennium Eye to trap us.’

‘That’s enough,’ Kaiba said. ‘Just drop it, Mokuba.’

Shamee looked at Kaiba to read his expression. He was afraid. It was probably less of the fear of what could have happened to him and more of what could have happened to his little brother. Kaiba simply never wanted a mention of the Shadow Realm ever again. If that was true, he didn’t have much hope.

‘You can believe whatever you choose, but I assume you my Puzzle is no trick.’ The Pharaoh looked at Shamee. She knew what he was asking her.

Shamee sighed. ‘Oh, why not? The worst he can do is deny it.’

Kaiba looked at them. ‘What are you two on about?’

‘How to put this?’ Shamee considered for a moment. ‘Kaiba, you’ve noticed how when Yugi and I enter conflicts our voice and our heights seem to change?’

Kaiba paused. ‘What are you saying?’

The Pharaoh answered that one. ‘She’s saying that we’re not exactly who you think we are.’

‘At this present point in time, at least,’ Shamee added. ‘The Millennium Items we hold allow two souls each to co-exist in one body. On one hand, yes, it’s Yugi Moto and Sharee Pertinicle. On the other, Sharee shares her body with me. Five thousand years ago, I was the Right-Hand to the Pharaoh.’

‘And I was that Pharaoh,’ the Pharaoh said.

‘That’s a lie!’ Kaiba insisted. ‘Do you honestly expect me to believe you?’

‘Well, why not?’ Shamee asked. ‘It’s no coincidence he looks exactly like that Pharaoh on the carving. Do you have any idea of what the actual odds of that are?’

Kaiba froze.

‘What are the odds?’ Mokuba asked.

Shamee closed her eyes. ‘I’d say ten billion to one.’

‘It’s true, Kaiba,’ the Pharaoh said calmly. ‘At one time we lived in Egypt. It was there I ruled as Pharaoh.’

‘As Pharaoh?’ Kaiba demanded.

‘No way!’ Mokuba insisted.

Kaiba definitely looked spooked. ‘But it can’t be…Your Pharaoh story’s not true! There’s just no way! That Ishizu woman told me the same lie at the museum.’

***

Kaiba seemed to shake off his shock and he chuckled. ‘You, Pharaoh? What a joke. I spoke to that crazy woman also, Yugi. But, unlike you, I didn’t buy into her story.’

Shamee smirked at him. ‘Then it might interest you to know that rock was tested scientifically and it, along with the carvings on it, really is five thousand years old. That thing is completely genuine.’

‘What Ishizu said was true,’ the Pharaoh said. Kaiba’s stubbornness really was a pain in the neck sometimes. ‘I know who I must stop. And I’ll never forget the day I first heard his name.’

***

‘So let me get this straight,’ Mokuba said. ‘Marik wants to rule the world? And he thinks getting all three Egyptian God Cards will give him the power he needs to do it? I guess that explains why he’s going through all this trouble just to get his hands on them.’ He definitely believed.

‘That’s ridiculous, Mokuba!’ Kaiba insisted.

‘Huh?’ Mokuba looked at him.

Kaiba addressed both ancients now. ‘You two, do me a favour and stop corrupting my brother’s mind with your lies.’

‘For the love of all that’s holy, Kaiba!’ Shamee rubbed the bridge of her nose before she glared at him. ‘Whether or not you believe it is irrelevant. Whether or not we believe it is also irrelevant. What’s important is that Marik believes it. You’ve seen the kind of lengths he’ll go to for the power that he believes is there.’ She noted, with satisfaction, that Kaiba took on the mannerism of a stubborn child who’d just been scolded for stupidity, and knew that he was wrong.

‘You’ve heard Marik’s plan, Kaiba – firsthand,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Remember?’

***

Kaiba sneered. ‘Using magic powers to control peoples’ minds. I bet you still believe in the tooth fairy as well.’

‘Marik’s powers are very real and very dangerous,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘And now that he’s captured my friends, there’s no telling what he plans to do with them. We have to locate my friends as soon as possible and get them away from that madman.’ The Pharaoh’s fist clenched. ‘Before it’s too late.’

***

‘We’re only two miles from our target, guys.’

Shamee had been sort of enjoying the silence before Mokuba spoke. She opened her eyes again and looked at the others. Neither the Pharaoh nor Kaiba had budged an inch. It was an interesting theory she’d stumbled upon but she had no way to prove it. Time would tell, she guessed. One day Kaiba wouldn’t be able to deny it.

‘Good,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Then it won’t be long before we find Téa and Joey.’

‘I’m tired of hearing about your friends, Yugi,’ Kaiba said. ‘Especially that hack, Wheeler.’

Shamee rolled her eyes. There went the silence.

The Pharaoh looked at Kaiba. ‘Joey has become an extremely skilled duellist, Kaiba. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had already qualified for the Battle City Finals.’

Shamee chuckled, thinking back on a few incidents. _That was funny._

Mokuba looked over the pilot’s seat and out the front window. ‘Look, the Rare Hunters’ hideout. It’s just up ahead.’

Kaiba gave his order to the pilot. ‘Begin our descent immediately.’

‘Yes, Mr. Kaiba,’ the pilot said.

Shamee stood up as the Pharaoh wrapped a tense hand around the chain of his Puzzle.


	26. Friends til the End Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marik forces a cruel and sadistic duel to take place.

‘As soon as we land, Mokuba will lead us to my friends,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘We’ll break in, and get them out.’

Kaiba looked at him. ‘Look, Yugi, I brought you here and I’ll be calling all the shots today.’ He smirked. ‘And the first task on my agenda is to track down the third Egyptian God card. After that, we’ll find your friends.’

Shamee huffed, like she’d just given up on talking to him.

The Pharaoh looked back at him. Did he have no concept of priorities? ‘Kaiba, Joey and Téa are in great danger and we must rescue them right away!’

‘Sorry.’ Kaiba never sounded it when he said that. ‘But it’s obvious that you and I have very different priorities, Yugi. So why don’t we split up and fend for ourselves when we land?’

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. ‘That’s foolish.’

‘Maybe it is to you, but I’ve always worked much better on my own. Haven’t you realised by now that teamwork’s not my thing?’ Kaiba then went for an example. ‘When we battled against Lumis and Umbra in that double duel, it was me who defeated them and without much help…’

Shamee cut him off with a snort. ‘Don’t pull that one, Kaiba. We were all there. If not for him, you wouldn’t have been able to summon either your Blue Eyes or Obelisk. Don’t go on pretending that you wouldn’t have set off that trap either.’ She stood up, seeming to have more difficulty than usual. ‘You were gung-ho on attacking them at every given opportunity.’

Kaiba gave her a glare. ‘Just do me a favour and stay out of my way. I brought you here now you can take care of the rest by yourself. I’ve done enough charity work already.’

The Pharaoh turned away from him and looked at Shamee.

‘Sorry.’ Again, it was insincere. ‘I’m through.’

Shamee’s eyes flashed in irritation.

‘We’re approaching our target now, Mr. Kaiba,’ the pilot reported.

‘Hey, guys.’ Mokuba was looking out the other window. ‘I think I see someone on the pier.’

Shamee walked over and looked out his side. ‘It’s Joey.’

‘Hm?’ The Pharaoh looked over and leaned forward. ‘Is he all right?’

‘No.’

‘He looks all right,’ Mokuba said.

‘Well, yeah,’ Shamee said. ‘Apart from the fact that his expression is completely blank, there are no guards anywhere around and his heart is cut off, he’s perfectly fine.’

The chopper was coming down for a landing.

‘Heart is cut off?’ Mokuba asked. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It means Marik’s got control of his mind.’

The Pharaoh growled in irritation at hearing that. ‘Kaiba, we may be heading into a trap.’

Kaiba paid him no mind. ‘Yugi, please, I’ve heard enough out of you for one day.’

The chopper came to a landing just a few feet away from Joey. Shamee crossed back over and opened the door. As she hopped down and landed on the ground, she winced a bit. She ignored it though and stepped aside. The Pharaoh was the next out. The two ancients stepped forward as the Kaiba brothers climbed out of the chopper.

Joey’s lips were tugged up in a smirk. Marik spoke through him. ‘Welcome.’

‘Joey!’ The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

‘Not exactly.’ The smirk widened. ‘Joey is not present. He’s gone away.’

The Pharaoh knew that wasn’t actually true. When a person was brainwashed in this way, the mind was merely suppressed. He somehow knew it was like floating in a fog. They could still be retrieved and, when that happened, it was always a shock to the one doing the brainwashing. ‘It’s Marik.’

‘That’s correct,’ Marik said through Joey. ‘And, if you want your friends back, you will listen to me.’

Behind him, Mokuba voiced his confusion. ‘What’s going on? That sure doesn’t sound like Joey.’

‘It must be one of Marik’s tricks.’ That was as close to belief confession as they’d get from Kaiba.

The Pharaoh stepped forward again. ‘Listen, Joey! You’ve got to be in there!’

‘It’s pointless,’ Marik said. ‘Now, you listen, Yugi. We are playing by my regulations. I’ll release your pathetic friends as soon as I get what I want. Of course, since I want your Puzzle and Egyptian God card, there’s only one way to do this.’ He lifted Joey’s arm with the duel disk attached. He needn’t have said the next part, but he did. ‘You and I are going to duel.’

***

Shamee’s attention turned to Kaiba as he explained to Mokuba why he thought this would be interesting. ‘Well, if Joey is fighting for Marik and the Rare Hunters now, he may be holding the third Egyptian God card.’

‘He hasn’t got it, Kaiba,’ Shamee stated. ‘I can tell you now, he hasn’t got it. You won’t see the Winged Dragon of Ra until Marik himself plays it.’

Kaiba smirked. ‘We’ll see.’

The Pharaoh tried again. ‘Joey, I know you can hear me.’ After all, brainwash victims were merely no longer in control of their bodies and mouths. ‘Your mind is under the control of Marik, and you must break free. Understand? The same Marik you vowed to help me crush. Think, Joey! You’ve got to remember your promise to me…’

Shamee checked her watch as he spoke.

Joey’s face remained blank though.

‘…when you gave me your Red Eyes. Marik couldn’t defeat me in a duel, so he decided to turn you against me in order to win my Puzzle and my Egyptian God card. Joey, I know you’re in there and I’m going to set you free. Marik’s power is feeble compared to the strength of our friendship. Please, say something Joey.’

Joey merely turned around.

‘Joey!’ The Pharaoh tried again.

Joey looked back with a sneer on his face. ‘You’ll never set him free, unless you follow me, Yugi.’ He started walking.

The Pharaoh gasped. ‘Joey! Wait!’ He ground his teeth and shook in frustration, his fingernails digging into his palms. Indecision flashed across his face. ‘Shamee?’

‘Yes.’ She stepped forward and stood at attention.

The Pharaoh looked back at her. ‘Can you detect Téa?’

Shamee nodded and pointed to the cruise ship next to them. ‘She’s in there. I wouldn’t be half-surprised if Marik’s taken control of her mind too.’

Almost as soon as she shut her mouth, Téa walked out with a statement from Marik. ‘Yugi, you’d better do exactly as I say.’ Marik went on, relentless. ‘This may come as an unpleasant surprise but, like Joey, Téa is also under my control.’ He laughed. ‘Surprised?’

‘No,’ Shamee said.

‘Marik, leave her alone, now!’ the Pharaoh barked. ‘She’s done nothing to you!’

Marik chuckled. ‘Looks like I’ve turned your closest friends into your greatest enemies. You’re at my mercy.’

Shamee only spared Téa a glance as she passed before she continued. ‘I think you’re gonna have to duel him, reach into his emotional centre. Tea will be released when she’s no longer useful to him.’

The Pharaoh nodded and followed Joey. Shamee fell into step behind him. She heard the Kaiba brothers following her. Joey – or Marik controlling Joey – led them right to a part of the pier that was sitting out over the ocean. There was a square platform and an anchor hanging from the railing above the centre. A box that looked suspiciously like a time bomb was strapped to the top. Only a couple of yards away was the wharf where Sharee had fought Marik in traditional weaponry warfare.

‘Welcome to my very special duelling arena,’ Marik said through Téa. ‘Look around you. Shouldn’t you accept? You’ll be battling your best friends in a duel like none you’ve ever experienced, for the highest stakes imaginable.’

The Pharaoh simply walked forward and took his place opposite Joey. He turned his head. ‘All right. Let’s duel, if it means saving my friends.’

Téa held up two shackles. ‘Let’s begin. Why don’t you both try these on for size?’ The idea became clear in Shamee’s head as she watched. Her face tightened. Both the Pharaoh and Joey were shackled to the anchor, one long chain going up to it. Marik went on with Téa’s voice. ‘Notice that you’re both securely fastened to a chain that leads to a large anchor hanging above you. Thirty seconds after a player’s life points reach zero, the anchor will drop to the bottom of the sea.’

‘That’s right.’ He went through Joey now. ‘Now, look down.’

The Pharaoh did so.

‘That small yellow box is your life point counter, but it also contains the key to your survival. When one player’s life points reach zero the other player’s box opens, revealing a key that unlocks his shackles. Remember, you’ll have thirty seconds to free yourself before the anchor drops.’

The Pharaoh summarised it. ‘So the loser of this duel will be dragged to the bottom of the ocean…’ He lifted his head. ‘…while the winner frees himself at the last minute.’

‘That’s right,’ Marik said. ‘Quite ingenious, isn’t it?’ He chuckled.

_Winner stays, loser drowns. Basic and sick would be the words I would use._

The Pharaoh was more concerned with what was important. ‘But wait. If I win this duel, will you set my friends free from your control, Marik?’

‘You’ll have to fish Joey out of the sea first,’ Marik said. ‘And don’t think I left little Téa out of all the fun.’

The Pharaoh turned. Shamee and the Kaiba brothers did too, from where they were standing on the pier. After leaving Marik’s custom-made duelling arena, Téa had been walked over and sat in a chair. They watched as metal cuffs emerged from inside the mechanism of the chair’s arms and legs and clamped around her wrists and ankles. Something else caught Shamee’s eye in the window of the wharf.

Marik went on. ‘But I’ll get to her role shortly. And just in case you had any plans of refusing to duel, think again! If there’s no winner within sixty minutes the anchor will automatically drop, sending both of you plummeting into the sea. Ha, ha, ha!’

The Pharaoh growled in irritation.

Shamee’s hand went to her waistband, the opposite side of where she had her deck. Feeling the lock-pick there, she nodded in satisfaction and folded her arms again. She noticed Kaiba glance at her with an expectant expression. He knew she had it. If it came down to it, she’d use the thing too.

Marik switched back to Téa to gloat. ‘But you will lose, Yugi. And before that anchor drops, I’ll take your Millennium Puzzle and your Egyptian God card.’ He chuckled.

‘You’re not going to get away with any of this, Marik!’ the Pharaoh barked.

***

Kaiba ground his teeth as Marik addressed him next.

‘Ha! And, Seto Kaiba, don’t think you’re merely a spectator in all this. As soon as I’m through with little Yugi and his friends I’m setting my sights on your Egyptian God card, Obelisk the Tormentor.’

While he said Marik had turned Yugi’s friends against him, he knew this wasn’t the fact. Their voices were distorted and had the echo of someone else in them. He knew enough about these guys to understand they’d never turn on Yugi in a million years – not of their own free will. Their minds were being controlled by a madman. They were under Marik’s control.

What had Shamee meant by “ _possibly_ insane”?

Mokuba turned to him. ‘All right! I’ve heard enough. This duel is getting way out of hand, Seto. You’ve gotta put a stop to it before someone gets hurt! Plus, Marik may try something like this on _us_ next.’

Kaiba felt sweat start to build across his forehead. On one hand, Mokuba was right. This was getting way out of hand. He’d never admit it to anyone else but he could see that Marik was going to force Yugi to duel his friends in order to take his Egyptian God card and the Millennium Puzzle off of him. On the other…did he really want to let this opportunity to witness the power of the Winged Dragon of Ra pass him by? But Mokuba was right.

‘As the head of the Battle City Tournament, I demand that this duel be stopped!’

Shamee turned around and pointed at the corner. ‘Easier said than done. If we try and stop this duel, Marik will make a Téa pancake.’

Kaiba followed the direction she was pointing with his gaze. He had no idea how she saw it but as Marik spoke again, the issue in question came into view. ‘Sorry, but the duel will go ahead as planned. And here’s the other part of my ingenious plot!’

Another of the Rare Hunters drove into the area and onto the platform where Téa was in a crane. It had a massive metal crate held aloft by the arm. It was stopped when the crate was over Tea’s head. If they did try to stop the duel, the operator in the cabin of the crane would drop it onto her head and squash her.

‘Very observant,’ Marik told Shamee. ‘I suppose there was a legitimate reason you stood at the Right Hand of the Pharaoh.’

‘Hey, what’s that?’ Mokuba demanded. ‘Above Téa?’

Yugi’s back had been turned. Upon Mokuba’s demand, though, he spun around. ‘Téa! What is the meaning of this, Marik?’

‘I’ve taken extra measure to make sure no one interferes,’ Marik said. ‘So don’t try. If you attempt to stop this duel, the crate you see hanging over my head will fall.’

Yugi looked up with a cry of alarm.

Shamee’s teeth snapped together. Kaiba and Mokuba both drew back.

‘You wouldn’t put poor Téa in danger, would you?’ Marik sneered.

The guy in the cabin of the crane was waving a remote control tauntingly. He had a wide smirk on his face. ‘Make one false move and I press the button, releasing the crate above the girl’s head.’

Kaiba shifted irritably. ‘I can’t stop this duel.’

Marik went on. ‘Now that everything seems to be in place and everyone is familiar with all the rules, why don’t we start the show? Oh, wait. I almost forgot. I wouldn’t want little Téa to miss all this.’ Her head suddenly dropped.

Kaiba assumed she’d been released.

‘Téa!’ Yugi called out to her.

Téa’s eyes slowly opened. For a moment, she clearly had no idea what was happening. Her lips moved, so she was muttering to herself. Then she noticed she was shackled and started tugging on her binds.

Marik spoke again through Wheeler. ‘Now then, there’s one last matter.’ He pointed at him. ‘Yugi, your Egyptian God card is off-limits. So if you were planning on using it against me, you’re out of luck. Now, remove the card from your deck so I may claim it when I win.’

‘As you wish, Marik.’ Yugi took his deck-belt from around his waist. He held it up. ‘I keep my special cards in here.’ He opened the pouch and pulled out a card. He looked at it.

Kaiba wondered if it was his Egyptian God card. When Yugi added the card to his deck, he decided it wasn’t. Yugi would never risk his friends like that. He looked across at Wheeler in determination. He was still set on un-brainwashing him.

Marik used Wheeler’s hand to point. ‘Now, place Slifer on the ground, Yugi.’

Yugi tossed his deck-belt on the boards next to him.

Marik used Wheeler to smirk. ‘So whoever wins will retrieve that card while the loser goes swimming.’ He raised his arm. ‘I think it’s finally time to begin this duel.’

***

Téa stared across the water, trying to make sense of what was going on. All she remembered was those Rare Hunters coming in. After that…nothing. Also, why were Sharee and the Kaiba brothers just standing on the pier? What had she missed? The duel was the most confusing though.

‘Yugi versus Joey?’

***

Mokuba stood next to his brother and watched all of this. It was now clear to him that what Yugi…the Pharaoh said before was true. Come to think of it, Shamee was standing there like a trained soldier. Téa appeared to be back to normal. That meant that Joey was under some kind of mind control. The idea scared Mokuba. Would Marik do that to him and Seto next if Yugi didn’t win?

‘Are you ready to duel, Yugi?’ Marik asked through Joey.

‘I am,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Let’s do this!’

‘Prepare to lose, fool!’ Joey was talking just like all those others. It went to say that none of them were really like that – Marik was.

‘It’s time to duel!’ The beginning phase activated and so did their duel disks.

Mokuba’s only consolation was that Marik was after Yugi first. As long as he still held Slifer the Sky Dragon, they were reasonably safe. Mokuba was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a ringtone. Shamee pulled a cell phone out of one of the pouches around her waist.

‘Hello?’ She paused. ‘Tristan?’ Her eyes suddenly narrowed. ‘Okay, where are you?’ Upon getting her answer, she quickly shot through an explanation of what was going on. She then waited for Tristan to finish reacting. ‘All right, all right. Before you go off all half-cocked, remember you have Serenity to look after. Joey won’t want his sister to come to any harm and Marik’s an idiot. He already attacked my whole family.’ She paused. ‘Well, fortunately for us we’re all used to defending ourselves without a moment’s notice. The point is that Marik fails to learn from past mistakes. Once he knows Joey’s sister is around, I don’t doubt he’ll try to snag her too.’ He paused for Tristan’s response. ‘The best thing you can do right now is get her to a public place: café, arcade, anyplace with plenty of people. They won’t want to risk witnesses because then they’d have to deal with the police.’ A few minutes later she hung up.

‘Sounds like things just got worse,’ Mokuba remarked.

Shamee nodded. ‘We’re just lucky Tristan thought to call me after he couldn’t get Téa.’

***

‘Yugi, you draw the first card.’

The Pharaoh drew.

‘It’s the beginning of the end for you.’

Looking down at his hand, the Pharaoh took note of what cards he held.

_I’ve gotta figure out a way to stop this duel!_ Yugi insisted in their minds. _When that anchor falls down it’s taking one, or maybe both, of us with it._

‘What’s the problem, Yugi? Are you too frightened to play a card?’

The Pharaoh growled. ‘I don’t think so, Marik.’ He pulled the card from his hand and played it. ‘I summon Gizelle the King of Mythical Beasts.’ The card appeared on the field in defence mode and the monster emerged in defence mode. ‘That ends my turn.’

‘Very well.’ Joey drew for Marik. ‘Yugi, say goodbye to your Gizelle.’ He played his card. ‘I play Raigeki, which destroys it!’ Lightning shot out of the sky and destroyed the monster.

The Pharaoh threw his arm up against the attack and grunted.

Another card was taken from Joey’s hand. ‘And now, I summon Alligator Sword!’ The card appeared on the field and the monster rose up. ‘Attack his life points directly!’

The Pharaoh winced as the sword slashed across his front. His life points dropped down to 2500. Frustration was a drawn out grunt coming from behind clenched teeth.

Marik laughed. ‘Surrender, yet? Or do you want more? I hope you’re not going easy on me because we’re old friends, Yugi.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘You’ll be sorry.’

The Pharaoh made it clear he was aware who he was really duelling with one statement. ‘We’re not friends, Marik.’ He was just using Joey’s face and voice to try and throw him off. The Pharaoh drew. ‘I play Big Shield Gardna, right now.’ The monster appeared on the field. ‘In defence mode.’

‘So, you think that’s enough to protect your life points, Yugi? So naïve!’ Joey’s deck was drawn from. ‘I play my Hinotama magic card!’ He showed the face of the card and then lifted it above his head. ‘Now, watch closely…’ A beam of light shot out of the sky and lightning flashed around the arena. ‘…as its power blasts away your life points!’

‘Yugi!’ Tea cried out from behind him.

The Pharaoh’s life points dropped to 2000.

That’s the second time he attacked me directly.

***

Marik chuckled to himself. ‘Looks like Yugi’s starting to panic already after getting a taste of my powerful deck. Enhanced with cards gathered by my Rare Hunters, Joey’s deck is virtually unbeatable. Yugi will be out of my way shortly, leaving behind his Puzzle and his Egyptian God card.’

Odion suddenly came out of the cabin behind him and bowed. ‘Pardon me, Master Marik, but I’ve just learned that Joey’s sister has arrived in Battle City.’

Marik turned his head, interested. ‘Did you say his sister?’

‘Yes, master.’

Marik turned more fully. ‘This sister of his may prove to be an excellent pawn in my game, Odion. Bring the girl to me immediately.’

‘Yes.’

***

The Pharaoh stared across at Joey. _I’ve gotta figure a way outta this! I’ve already lost half my life points, and if I lost this duel the whole world is in danger._ The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes at Yugi’s thought. _But if I win, my best friend gets dragged into the ocean. There must be a solution!_

‘Time is running out, Yugi!’ Marik mocked him through Joey.

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes again.

_He’s right! In less than an hour, that anchor drops automatically and we’re both doomed! Come on…Heart of the Cards, guide me!_

‘It’s my move.’ The Pharaoh drew.

***

‘Hey!’ Téa suddenly called across the water. ‘What in the world is going on here? Why is Yugi duelling against Joey? Is this some sort of freaky dream?’

Shamee sighed. She guessed she couldn’t put it off forever. She called Téa’s attention to her by raising her voice. ‘Long story short: Marik brainwashed Joey and you’re the blackmail.’

Téa looked at her. ‘Blackmail?’

‘Sure. They’re chained to the anchor and it’ll drop in less than an hour.’ Shamee pointed above Téa’s head. ‘If anyone tries to interfere, you get to be acquainted with the bottom of that big metal crate they’ve got suspended above your head, there!’

Téa looked up and her eyes bugged. She cried out in alarm. She’d seriously never even realised the potentially fatal situation she was in. She struggled against the binds that held her down. Shamee and the Kaiba brothers calmly waited for her to work out she couldn’t get away.

‘Chill, Téa.’ Shamee called out to her again. ‘Having a panic attack isn’t going to get you outta there. This is the absolute worst time to be a cheerleader. So, you may as well just sit back…and watch.’

Téa stopped struggling and looked over at her. Shamee had already turned her attention back to the duel. Téa stared at her, a little helplessly for a moment longer, and then she too turned her attention back to the duel. The truth was there was nothing else to do. Nobody could go anywhere.

‘This Marik guy’s behind everything?’ Téa asked. ‘Then he must be the one Ishizu warned us to watch out for!’

Shamee only glanced over at her. She wasn’t sure about that one. It looked like Marik right now, but something niggled at her mind. No…no, it wasn’t him. It sat there, at the back of her consciousness. There was something even bigger that they had to watch out for. Regardless, Téa either took that for confirmation or she thought she was having an epiphany.

‘Everything’s making sense to me now!’

The Rare Hunter leaned out the window. ‘Hey, girlie! You stop making a fuss or you’re done for!’

‘You wouldn’t do it!’ Téa snapped at him. ‘You don’t have the guts!’

‘Téa!’ Shamee snapped at her. Now was not the time for the modern-day sixteen year old naïvety. She waited until the brunette was looking at her. ‘Of course he will do it.’

‘Who would drop a crate on anyone’s head?’ Téa demanded.

‘Roughly about three per cent of the human population.’ Shamee answered like it was the most normal thing in the world. ‘Marik has control of all Rare Hunters in the same way he now has control of Joey. He’s an absolute psychopath. Insane, twisted and without a conscience. Kaiba already tried to stop this duel, but he couldn’t because he knows as well as I do that they will drop that crate.’ She paused. ‘Not to be mean, but it would be in your best interest to sit back, zip thy lip…and pray.’

Téa hesitated and then sat back.

***

‘Let’s go, Yugi. Time is of the essence, and stalling’s not an option. You know that as well as I do.’ Marik used Joey to point at him. ‘So make your move, now!’

 _All right. Time to make a move. Let’s see. His Alligator Sword has 1500 attack points, and I don’t have anything powerful enough to beat it but I do have Big Shield Gardna, which has enough defence points to keep me safe for now. He looked at the cards in his hand. But I still need to figure out a way to win this duel without hurting Joey. Huh…that trap card might help me for now._ His eyes narrowed. _Until I can figure out a plan. He took the card from his hand. Well, here goes._

‘I place this card face-down.’ The Pharaoh set the card and it appeared in front of him. Joey might work out what it was, but he wasn’t duelling Joey. The Pharaoh took another card from his hand. ‘And then, I shall summon my Kuriboh in attack mode…’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it. ‘…and end my turn.’

Marik promptly proved it wasn’t Joey he was duelling. ‘Are you playing some sort of a joke? Kuriboh’s weak! It only has 300 attack points. Why would you play it in attack mode…unless you’re trying to lose this duel on purpose to save your friend?’ He smirked. ‘All right. Very well, then. If losing is your goal, allow me to help you.’ Marik laughed maniacally.

‘I won’t lose.’ The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. ‘Understand?’

Marik never took him seriously. He just had Joey smirk wider.

‘I’ll defeat you,’ the Pharaoh stated. ‘And free Joey from your control!’

‘Wrong,’ Marik said. ‘I’m afraid that this time you’re in over your head, Yugi.’ He called the attack. ‘So now…Alligator Sword, attack his Kuriboh!’ The Alligator charged, heading right for Kuriboh.

‘Hold it right there!’ The Pharaoh activated his trap card and it flipped up. ‘Activate face-down card.’

Marik drew back with a growl through Joey. ‘It’s a trap!’

‘Alligator Sword is now caught in my Spell-Binding Circle!’ the Pharaoh stated as the monster’s attack points dropped to 800. ‘Your monster’s power has decreased while my Kuriboh is safe and sound.’

***

Kaiba couldn’t believe Marik had been so stupid. That had been so obvious. Of course, Yugi had duelled this guy enough through his cronies to know just how cocky he was. It was more likely he’d been counting on that overconfidence. ‘He weakened it, but he still has nothing powerful enough to destroy it.’

Kaiba ground his teeth.

***

‘Joey!’ Téa called out again. ‘Don’t attack!’

Shamee was, clearly, getting rather fed up. ‘Téa, he can’t attack! The Spell-Binding Circle paralyses the monster, remember?’ Well, she had already told Téa to keep her mouth shut. She had made it very clear that the crate would be dropped on her head, but Téa was too young, too sheltered and too naïve to really understand somebody would actually kill her.

‘Oh, I can attack,’ Marik said through Joey. ‘All right, Yugi. I’ve had enough of your childish games. Now it’s time for me to regain control of this duel.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

‘Ready?’ A card was taken from Joey’s hand and raised into the air. ‘Because this worked so well last time, I’ll use another one! Hinotama, attack his life points!’ This time, a fireball shot out of the air and headed right for him. Marik laughed maniacally again.

The Pharaoh braced himself. The fireball impacted. Fire tore through and around him, ripping right through his body. He cried out in pain as the heat burned him, licking at his flesh with blistering pain. He barely heard Téa calling out to him or the cackling in Joey’s voice. When it finally cleared, his body did not feel like holding him up. He hit the wooden boards he was standing on, cheek pressed to the timber as he fought to catch his breath.

The Pharaoh’s life points dropped to 1500.


	27. Friends Til the End Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi comes upon the plan to bring Joey back to himself.

Shamee stood on the pier with the Kaiba brothers. She watched as the Pharaoh pushed himself up. She had a nasty feeling that wasn’t the last they’d heard from Téa. She may have been book-smart but she had no concept that it was actually possible for people not to care about killing her.

Marik was gloating through Joey again. ‘I’ve attacked your life points yet again, Yugi.’ He laughed. ‘You’re finished. As soon as I wipe out the rest, that anchor will drop, taking you with it right into the sea!’

The Pharaoh lifted his head as the smoke cleared. ‘Marik, I can assure you that you’ll never get away with your plan.’

Marik sneered through Joey. ‘Huh. Is that so, Yugi? I’d say you’re in no position to make threats.’

The Pharaoh straightened up. ‘I know the real Joey is in there, and I’m going to set him free no matter what it takes.’

Marik was doubtful. ‘Oh?’

‘There’s no way you’ll win my Puzzle or my Egyptian God card.’

Joey’s face went completely blank again.

***

The Pharaoh watched as Joey was reanimated.

‘Yugi.’ Marik smirked through him. ‘You’re friend is gone.’ He was operating off of the assumption that he didn’t realise how brainwashing worked.

The thought was making him shake in anger though. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Then make your move. Not that it matters. Neither one of your monsters is powerful enough to defeat my Alligator Sword.’

Téa, still with clearly no sense of her own self-preservation, called out again. ‘Hey, Joey! Snap out of it! We’re your friends, remember?’

Shamee, apparently, had completely given up on trying to get it through her head. She said nothing. The Pharaoh ground his teeth in irritation. He was a little surprised, though, when Yugi spoke up in their mind.

_Téa’s right! I have an idea._

Inside their minds, the Pharaoh turned his head and looked at Yugi. _**What is it?**_

_I may have come up with a way to save Joey, and get us out of this mess._

The Pharaoh closed his eyes. _**What’s that?**_ Well, last time Yugi had one of these ideas it turned out to be the best thing they could’ve done.

_Well, it just came to me when Tea reminded us of our friendship._

No point mentioning that Tea calling out like that could get her killed.

_There’s a chance we can break through to the real Joey. I think you should let me duel in your place._

Wait, what? **But why?** He was just a kid.

_Because through thick and thin Joey and I have always shared a really strong bond. A bond that I think might break through to him now._

Well, that was true. It was Yugi who’d befriended Joey in the first place. When the Pharaoh first came out he was…well, sick would be the correct word. What had Shamee once called it during those times? Solitary confinement syndrome? The point was that the Pharaoh only became friends with all of Yugi’s friends after the two of them in this vessel came to that understanding: they came from different cultures and they both had to respect that in the other.

Yugi went on. _We’ve been through so much together, like the time he rescued me from that fire. Joey and Tristan risked their lives for us! And now it’s my turn._

_**This is a very dangerous match, Yugi.** _

_I know it is, but I can’t let that stop me. I feel in my heart that if there’s anyone in the whole world that can get through to Joey right now, it’s me._

_**But Yugi…** _

_I’m ready to go in there and do whatever I have to do!_

That was a shock. It surprised him so much, it actually made him jump a bit. The Pharaoh supposed he was right, but the boy would never grow up if he didn’t learn to face his problems himself. Yugi didn’t seem to realise he’d been convinced, though, and he went on.

_Joey’s my best friend and I know that he would do the exact same thing for me. Please understand, Pharaoh, this isn’t just something I want to do. It’s something I feel I have to do._

_**Well, Yugi…if you feel that strongly, then go. Go and rescue your best friend and know that I will be right here should you need me.** _

They switched over.

***

Shamee had seen it when it happened. Now Sharee was the one who stood on the pier with the Kaiba brothers. She was also aware that, at present, she was the only one aware that the switchover had occurred. That was…until Yugi opened his mouth and spoke across to Joey.

‘Okay, Joey, it’s just us now.’

Joey’s head was lifted either in confusion or displease. ‘Hm.’

‘My turn, Marik.’ Yugi drew.

With any luck, it’d be Joey’s Red Eyes.

_**Uh oh.** _

Sharee turned her attention to her guest. _What do you mean “uh oh”?_

_**Looks like Tristan and Serenity have company.** _

Sharee ground her teeth. _Didn’t they stay in a crowded place like I told them to?_

_**Seems the Rare Hunters don’t care about witnesses.** _

Sharee looked back at the duel and scowled. _I’d like to go help them, but we’d arrive far too late._

_**Unfortunately true.** _

***

Kaiba stared over at Yugi, as he stared at the card he’d just drawn. There was a difference now, though. It was almost like he really was a different person. _But he’s not. He can’t be. That’s impossible._ He seemed shorter and chubbier…more like his normal self. More like when he wasn’t duelling. Next to himself and Mokuba, Sharee pulled her arms from their folded position. She rubbed her jaw and furrowed her brow. That was different from how she usually stood when watching the duels.

_No, its gotta just be my imagination._

Yugi suddenly lifted his head and looked across the field at Wheeler. He was clearly muttering to himself. Kaiba wondered what in the world was going on over there. It was almost like something had happened and he just hadn’t noticed whatever it was. His mind flashed back to Sharee’s words.

_‘What’s important is that Marik believes it.’_

That, he supposed, was true. Even if he said it was nonsense, Marik very clearly believed it – obviously raised in a more superstitious place – and he was willing to do anything. He had some kind of tricks. Kaiba was just yet to find out what they were.

Marik spoke through Wheeler again. ‘Remember, when time runs out that anchor falls. Now make your move!’

Whatever Yugi was doing, he was thinking real hard about it. Maybe Wheeler was under a form of hypnotism. Certainly Yugi was trying to figure out how to break him out of it. Why Marik had wasted this on Wheeler was anyone’s guess. Perhaps because he was the only duellist Marik could get. Kaiba turned his gaze to Sharee. She’d said he’d tried to grab her family. The only thing was, they’d turned around and kicked the Rare Hunters to the curb.

Yugi reached for the card, then paused. Either he was reconsidering how to approach this or the Pharaoh was advising him in his head. Kaiba hoped it was the former. Yugi glanced up at Wheeler again, consideration written over his face.

Marik was getting impatient. ‘Go! What’s taking so long?’

So was Kaiba, really. ‘All right, Yugi. It’s time to sink or swim.’ _Quite literally._

Téa tried again. ‘Joey, please wake up! We’re your friends! You’ve gotta remember our bond! Remember our Ring of Friendship! Nothing can break that bond, so snap out of it, Joey, please!’

Kaiba rubbed the bridge of his nose, annoyance moving through him. He had to agree as Sharee muttered something about gagging her. It seemed she was just as annoyed as him, despite Téa being her friend. Then again, Sharee’s background meant she had a deeper understanding of words being limited and useless in certain situations – like now. That little pep talk had more effect on Yugi than it did on Joey.

Yugi finally took a card from his hand. ‘I play the magic card Exchange!’ He set the card and it flipped up on the field.

Kaiba started.

‘A foolish move,’ Marik stated.

Sharee let out a low whistle. ‘Now that’s what I call a gamble.’

Gamble was right. _What’s Yugi thinking? The Exchange card allows Wheeler to take any card he wants from Yugi’s deck._ At the same time, Sharee was accurate. It looked like Yugi was having real trouble with that one. Did Yugi have an ulterior motive in playing that card?

***

‘Look at you!’ Marik mocked him through Joey. ‘Ha! You must be desperate to play a card like that.’ He started walking around. ‘But if you insist I’d be glad to take a card from your hand, little Yugi.’ He chuckled.

Yugi watched him approach worriedly. This was his only chance. He really hoped the real Joey was paying attention. As he watched his brainwashed friend approach, Yugi braced himself.

‘Not that I need any help.’ Marik stopped Joey next to him. ‘Show me your pitiful cards.’

Yugi lifted his hand and showed Joey the cards he had.

‘Now, which card shall I take?’ As soon as that question was out of his mouth, Joey had the desired effect. His blank eyes widened and something flickered in them. ‘Huh?’ He’d seen it. For a second, there was a tremor in Joey’s body. Then Marik seemed to regain control of him again. ‘Playing an Exchange card was a huge mistake, little Yugi.’

‘Well, pick your card, Marik. You can have any one you want, including the Red Eyes Black Dragon.’

Joey’s face tightened again.

_**Yugi,**_ the Pharaoh called to him. _**It may be working.**_

Joey’s face became tighter. His hand reached out. Yugi’s eyes were jammed shut. He couldn’t look. His nerves were twisting in his stomach. Marik tried to reassert himself. ‘Your friend is long-gone.’ Joey’s hand laid on the Red Eyes, and froze. ‘So I’ll be taking your Red Eyes Black Dragon.’

_It’s not working._ Yugi insisted. _He’s still under Marik’s control._

_**Hold on, Yugi. Look again.** _

Yugi cautiously opened his eyes and looked. Joey was frozen, just staring at the card he had his hand on. His hand was now froze…shaking. Yugi stared, hoping filling him up as he realised that, somewhere inside, the real Joey was stopping his own hand from taking the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

‘Can’t…take…Red Eyes!’ Joey’s other hand went to his head. ‘No! I…I just can’t! Not that card! No! Yugi…needs it!’ His eyes snapped open and his hand shifted, taking a different card from him. Turning his cards back around, Yugi saw which card he’d taken: Card Destruction.

Yugi smiled. ‘Yeah, Joey! You didn’t take it!’

‘Not finished!’ Sharee called across to him.

Yugi calmed down as he realised what Sharee meant. Joey still wasn’t free. He still had to work on it. They had more work ahead of them to get their friend back to himself. Marik, though, was apparently not happy with being defied. He turned Joey’s eyes to Yugi in a glare.

‘I told you, Joey has gone away and I’m here to defeat you with my arsenal of rare magic cards so I don’t need your Red Eyes.’

‘That’s what you think!’ Yugi was in an absurdly good mood now. ‘Now I get to pick one of you cards, Joey.’

Even as he held out his cards, Marik tried again. ‘I said Joey is gone, and you’re finished.’ He ground his teeth.

‘We’ll see about that.’

Joey was walked back over to his side of the field.

‘You can deny it all you want,’ Yugi said. ‘But I know my best friend is in there and I’m gonna set him free, Marik!’

‘You’re fooling yourself.’ Marik stopped Joey.

‘I don’t think so! That’s why you didn’t take my Red Eyes. Cause the real Joey is in there, fighting to get out and he gave me that Red Eyes when he promised to help me defeat you, Marik.’

‘That’s enough.’

‘Admit it,’ Yugi said. ‘As soon as he saw that card, the real Joey came through.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Marik asked. He spun his head, the look from before was back. ‘I’m controlling his mind!’

Yugi realised what that look meant. ‘Not for much longer.’ He held up the Red Eyes. ‘I know I can use this card to stop you and bring my best friend back. Just wait.’

Joey’s eyes were narrowed. ‘Don’t hold your breath.’ Marik continued walking him around the perimeter until he was back in place. ‘Now let’s get on with this duel already, so I can claim what is mine and get rid of you once and for all.’

‘It’s still my turn, so stand back.’ Yugi took the card in question from his hand again.

Marik stopped Joey in his place across the field. ‘Go ahead and make your pathetic move, little Yugi. There’s not a card in your hand that can stop me from wiping out the rest of your life points.

Yugi played his card. ‘And now I sacrifice my two monsters…’ They both shattered. ‘…so I can summon this to the field!’ The card appeared and flipped up. ‘Red Eyes Black Dragon!’ The dragon emerged from the card with a mighty roar.

Joey’s eyes widened. He muttered so that Yugi barely heard him. ‘It’s my…Red Eyes. Yugi…!’

‘That’s right, Joey!’ Yugi called to him. ‘Fight it! Look at your Red Eyes and break free!’ He kept trying as his friend stared at the Dragon in front of him. ‘That’s right, Joey! I know you remember your Red Eyes.’

‘I re…member…my Dragon…’

***

‘That Red Eyes Black Dragon seems to be affecting Wheeler’s mind.’

Sharee wondered if Kaiba was even aware he’d spoken aloud. Normally, he wouldn’t be caught dead admitting this stuff. It was more likely that the thought had come out of his mouth as Kaiba had become wrapped up in what was happening. Sharee kept a close watch on Joey, though, looking to see when he broke the effects.

‘Well, you heard Yugi,’ Mokuba said. ‘It used to be Joey’s card. Must be a hard spot to be in. A card you really care about being played against you.’

Sharee remembered when Kaiba had been in that spot.

So did Kaiba, apparently. ‘It’s about to get harder.’

***

‘Joey!’ Yugi called. ‘Marik has taken over your mind, and he’s using you to destroy me. So I’m gonna try to blast you back to your senses.’

Joey ground his teeth.

‘If it doesn’t work you, me and the whole world are in danger!’ Yugi didn’t even notice the tears in his eyes. ‘Joey, I’m only doing this because I’m your friend. Now, prepare to be knocked back to your senses!’ The Dragon moved in preparation for the attack. ‘Red Eyes Black Dragon, attack his Alligator Sword with Inferno Fireblast!’ The blast came out of the monster’s mouth and crossed the field. The Alligator shattered. Dust shot around Joey’s side of the field.

When it cleared, Yugi saw Joey crouching there with his arm up defensively. His face was tenser than a drum. Joey’s life points dropped to 2400.

‘Are you there, Joey?’ Yugi called. ‘Hey, Joey? Is that you?’

The stress in Joey’s face just increased. He stood up and smirked. ‘Sorry, Yugi. Your trick didn’t work. I’m still in control, and now it’s time. I’ll wipe out what’s left of your life points, my little friend.’ He lifted his cards. ‘And take what belongs to me.

The Pharaoh called to him. _**Yugi, this is getting too dangerous. I’m taking over.**_

‘No.’ Yugi wrapped his hand around the chain of the Puzzle. _I can’t let you, Pharaoh._

_**Huh?** _

Yugi took the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck. ‘I need to do this myself, and I have one last idea.’ He held it in his hand, by the chain.

_**But Yugi…** _

‘You have to trust me on this one. I know I can save him.’ They retreated into their minds. _Since the day I put together the Millennium Puzzle, you’ve given me hope, courage and confidence. You’ve even helped me to make new friends. But Sharee’s right. We can’t go through our lives depending on you and Shamee. I need to know that even without the Millennium Puzzle hanging around my neck, I can still be brave and help out my friends. I guess what I’m saying is…sometimes I need to prove to myself that I can be like you without you, you know?_

_**Yes, I do.** _

_Then you understand that I need to finish this myself?_

_**You are aware of what will happen if you lose this duel, aren’t you?** _

_I sure am. That’s why I need to do this because I can’t let that happen._

_**All right. If you believe in yourself, then I believe in you too, Yugi. Good luck. You have the power to win. The fate of the world rests with you.** _

‘And I won’t disappoint you, Pharaoh.’ Yugi turned his attention back to the duel. _All right. It’s time to save my best friend, and the world on my own._

‘Well, now,’ Marik said through Joey. ‘Have you given up or are you ready for more?’

_I don’t have much time left. My life points are low and, if I lose, Marik gets everything. My only hope is to free Joey’s mind._

‘All right. It’s time for me to finish you off now, and take the power I deserve. So say goodbye…’ The card was drawn from Joey’s deck. ‘…as I attack your life points again with yet another Hinotama magic card!’

Yugi looked up and braced himself as the fireball shot down again.

‘Fire Shower Attack!’

It impacted. Fire ripped around Yugi, sending pain shooting through his body. He cried out as he was thrown back, his hand tightening around the chain of the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi’s life points dropped to 1000.

‘Oh, no!’ Téa cried out.

***

Sharee watched Yugi struggle to push himself to his feet. It was harder for him to push himself up than it would be for the Pharaoh. Of course, the man was a warrior king from 3000 BC. It stood to reason that he was far stronger than a schoolboy from the nineteen-nineties.

‘What’s the matter, little Yugi?’ Marik mocked him through Joey. ‘Did my direct attack leave you speechless?’

Yugi slowly managed to stumble to his feet.

‘Please, Joey!’ Téa called. ‘Come to your senses! Kaiba, Mokuba, can’t you guys do something to stop this?’

‘No.’ Sharee was really getting fed up with Téa.

‘If we move, Téa will be…’ Mokuba, at least, realised that they would kill Téa. ‘Well, we’ve still gotta find a way to stop this before it’s too late.’

‘I know,’ Kaiba murmured.

Sharee wondered why Yugi had taken the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck.

‘Surrender yet, Yugi?’ Marik sneered.

Yugi pushed himself the rest of the way up. ‘Listen, I’m not going to stop until my best friend is safe from harm.’ As he started moving around, slowly, Sharee frowned.

‘What’s he doing?’ Unfortunately, she didn’t understand Yugi as well as Shamee understood the Pharaoh.

Yugi continued as he moved. ‘And I know just how to get through to him, Marik, so watch me!’

‘Too late. I’m about to send you into the sea, when I summon Rocket Warrior.’ He set the card. It appeared in attack mode and the monster emerged from the card. ‘Any monster struck by Rocket Warrior loses 500 attack points for the duration of the turn.’

Yugi didn’t stop moving. ‘Wait, Joey. I know you can hear me…’

Even if he could, Marik went on relentlessly. He set a card face-down on the field. ‘And then I’ll play Attrition!’ The card flipped up and activated.

‘I know you remember,’ Yugi said, ignoring him. ‘Think, Joey.’

‘No, really,’ Kaiba said. ‘What is he doing?’

As he asked, Sharee realised.

‘I said you’re too late, you fool!’ Marik crowed. ‘Rocket Warrior, attack now!’ The headpiece snapped shut over the Warrior’s face. It transformed into a rocket with a spike on top. ‘In its invincible mode, it will weaken your Red Eyes while remaining unharmed!’ It shot across the field, a stream of rocket fire propelling it forward. It impacted and the Red Eyes cried out in pain. The Dragon’s attack points dropped down to 1900.

‘Joey, hold on,’ Yugi said. ‘I just want to give you something of mine.’

‘Aha…’ It was just as Sharee thought.

Marik either didn’t hear or just ignored him. His magic card began to glow. ‘Now my Attrition card activates. It takes the attack points of my Rocket Warrior and it subtracts them from your Red Eyes, making it even weaker.’

The Red Eyes Black Dragon’s attack points dropped to 400. It dropped down, like a poor wounded beast. Yugi watched Joey’s face very carefully. He waited to see the devastation of Joey try to get through. He wasn’t disappointed.

‘How sad.’ Suddenly Joey froze up, a horrified look on his face. Sweat rolled down his face. Marik’s control was weakening again.

‘You’re my best friend,’ Yugi said. ‘And just like you gave me your Red Eyes…’ He watched Joey lift a hand to his head. ‘…I wanna give you something that’s meaningful to me.’  
Joey’s grip on his head tightened. He jammed his eyes shut and his head dropped with a cry of pain. ‘What’s…happening to me?’ He fell to his knees as Yugi came to his side.

Yugi leaned over. ‘Joey, it’s me.’

Joey opened his eyes and looked up at him.

‘Please, take this.’ Yugi held out his Puzzle. ‘It’s my most precious possession. The Millennium Puzzle.’ He hung it around Joey’s neck.

Sharee wasn’t surprised. That was just what she’d thought. Now it’d simply been proven to her. The Kaiba brothers were confused though. They both knew that was what Marik had been after. Why hand it over now. Kaiba even made a “humph” and then looked at her.

‘Why give him that?’

Sharee kept her eyes on the ancient artefact hanging around Joey’s neck. Her mind flashed back to the first time she’d ever seen these boys. Back then, it would’ve been just about impossible to tell how close they’d become. That had been months before she’d “formally” introduced herself to them. Sharee answered Kaiba’s question.

‘Yugi’s going to use déjà vu as a weapon.’


	28. Friends Til the End Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi uses Deja Vu as a weapon.
> 
> Sharee gets an idea.

Kaiba watched Yugi cross back over to his side of the field. The timer was down to twenty minutes. Wheeler was climbing to his feet. Glancing over at Sharee, he wondered what she meant. Use déjà vu as a weapon. How did one use déjà vu as a weapon? The only way to know was to watch.

‘Joey?’ Yugi called. ‘Are you in there?’

Wheeler ground his teeth. No doubt Marik was in his head again. Wheeler’s hand wrapped around the chain of the Puzzle. He seemed to be fighting as his lips were tugged into a smirk. He repeated what had been chanted into his head. ‘Destroy…Yugi.’ Wheeler pulled the Puzzle from around his neck. He took one piece of the Puzzle out and wrapped his fist around it. He turned like he was going to pitch it into the ocean. Kaiba found himself tensing.

‘He won’t do it,’ Sharee said.

‘Huh?’ Kaiba and Mokuba both looked at her.

Sharee was watching this with the kind of smirk you’d give someone who you knew couldn’t do what they were trying to do. Kaiba turned his head. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘What Marik obviously doesn’t realise is that Yugi and Joey’s friendship started with Joey throwing one piece of the Puzzle away.’

Suddenly her earlier comment made perfect sense. This had happened before so with the effects of déjà vu, Yugi would release Wheeler from Marik’s control. The more that guy tried to push the dork to throw the Puzzle piece, the less control he’d have over him. And it was something Marik would do.

‘Please stop!’ Yugi called.

Wheeler froze. His entire body shook in strain. He collapsed to his knees again. On one hand, Marik was pushing him to throw the Puzzle piece. On the other, Wheeler was unfailingly loyal to Yugi – a trait all his friends possessed. His free will was attempting to break through and it was succeeding.

Even if he had nothing else going for him, Wheeler still had his willpower.

***

Sharee wasn’t really surprised when Joey, even brainwashed, “changed his mind”. He stood up, put the Puzzle piece back and replaced and mystical artefact around his neck. To be fair, Sharee had warned Marik. People with strong wills could not be controlled for very long. It was clear Joey was already breaking through.

Marik seemed to regain some control of him though. ‘Your little friendship plan won’t work, Yugi. Your friend’s mind belongs to me. You hear me?’ It also sounded like Marik was getting frustrated. ‘Prepare for defeat!’ He used Joey to point at him. ‘Yugi, get on with the duel. The sooner you make your move, the sooner I can eliminate your life points, and you’d better act quickly because you only have fourteen minutes before that anchor pulls you and your best friend into the ocean’s depths. You’ll be out of my way once and for all!’

Sharee’s eyes narrowed. _Don’t you wish._

***

Yugi stared across the field at Joey.

‘Make your move, little Yugi!’ Marik demanded through his best friend.

Yugi drew. ‘Fine. Since your turn is over, Red Eyes regains 500 of the attack points it lost last turn, Marik.’ The Dragon lifted his head with a low growl as its attack went back up to 900. ‘Get ready.’ He looked at the card he’d drawn. _Beta the Magnet Warrior could help. I need to free Joey’s mind from Marik’s control. Last turn, when Marik made him attack the Red Eyes Black Dragon, the real Joey broke through. I’ve got to make that happen again if I’m going to save him and get us out of this mess. But Red Eyes is weak and, if it does get attacked, I could lose this duel to Marik and put the whole world in danger._ Yugi took the cards from his hand. ‘I place two cards face-down…’ They appeared in front of him. ‘…and then I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode!’ The card appeared on the field and Beta emerged. ‘And that will end my turn.’

‘How foolish,’ Marik said. He had Joey draw. ‘It’s time to end this.’ He looked at his card. ‘Destroy…Yugi…’ The statement sounded monotone. Joey’s eyes met his. ‘All right, little Yugi, time to wipe out your Red Eyes and your life points.’

The Pharaoh’s voice somehow reached him. _**Yugi, you’re losing him. Marik’s hold on Joey is getting stronger.**_

Yugi tensed at the warning.

Joey’s card was set on the duel disk. ‘I play Panther Warrior.’ The card appeared on the field in attack mode and the monster emerged from it. ‘You’re done!’ The Panther Warrior roared. ‘But first…before I strike, I’ll transform Rocket Warrior into its invincible mode.’ Just that happened and the monster in question shot towards Yugi’s side of the field again. ‘I’ll attack with Rocket Warrior!’ The point turned. ‘And the target shall be Yugi’s Magnet Warrior.’ The Rocket monster sailed across the battlefield.

‘Not so fast.’ Yugi activated one of his down cards. ‘I reveal my face-down trap! Activate Magic Armshield!’ The card flipped up and glowed brightly.

The smirk fell off of Joey’s face. ‘Huh?’

The Armshield attached itself to Beta’s arm. The mechanism came out and caught Rocket Warrior, turning it around. ‘I’ll intercept your Rocket Warrior and redirect the rocket attack…’ That thing didn’t want to turn, but the Armshield forced it. ‘…towards your Panther Warrior!’ The Armshield got the Rocket Warrior turned around and let it go. It sailed back the way it came and punched through its ally. ‘And thanks to your Attrition magic card Panther Warrior loses 1500 attack points, bringing its strength all of the way down to 500.’

An irritated growl came from Joey.

‘Also, because Rocket Warrior was in its invincible mode, your monster loses 500 extra attack points, leaving it with zero.’ _I think my plan worked. Marik would have attacked my Red Eyes to win the duel, but Joey must’ve stopped him._

This could be done.

***

‘Make your pathetic move, little Yugi,’ Marik said.

‘Fine, Marik.’

‘And since Rocket Warrior’s effect is over, my Panther Warrior regains the 500 it lost.’ The attack points flew up.

‘Big deal!’ Yugi drew. ‘My move. I sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior…’ It happened as he spoke. ‘…so I can summon my Beast of Gilfer!’ The monster appeared on the field. ‘I’ll save you yet, Joey!’

Marik growled through Joey.

Yugi called the attack. ‘Now, my mighty Beast, attack his Rocket Warrior!’ With a roar, the Beast of Gilfer gathered the energy for his blast and released it in a stream of fire. It washed over the Rocket Warrior and then nothing of Joey’s monster remained.

Joey’s arm had gone up when the attack hit. His life points dropped down to 1700.

Yugi tried again. ‘You there, Joey?’

Joey’s arm was lowered. ‘No. Joey’s gone. You see, unlike your Dragon, I’ve got plenty of strength left.’

Yugi looked over. _He’s right. Thanks to Marik’s magic card, Red Eyes is down to a measly 900 attack points – and I can’t let it get destroyed._ He looked back up. _It may be my only hope to save Joey and the entire world from Marik._

‘I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before you and your pathetic friend are out of my way for good,’ Marik said. He was right.

There was barely more than ten minutes remaining.

***

Mokuba stood next to his big brother, watching the duel. Apparently, Marik had decided it was time to remind his other hostage that he hadn’t forgotten her existence. ‘I hope you’re comfortable, little Téa, getting a front-row seat to your friend’s last duel. As long as no one interferes, you’ll be fine, but I can’t say the same for Yugi.’

This was several types of bad. The worst thing of it was that they couldn’t do anything about it. They were only able to stand and watch as it unfolded in front of them. There’d been a few moments when it looked like Joey might break free but those had gone as quickly as they’d come.

‘You won’t get away with this, Marik!’ Yugi yelled at him.

‘That’s where you’re wrong, little Yugi. In less than ten minutes the anchor hanging above you will drop into the ocean, taking you and your friend, Joey, with it.’

***

Mai hadn’t been expecting to run into Tristan or Joey’s sister. She had to be fourteen or fifteen. No wonder Joey had been so desperate to save her eyesight. That was far too young to go blind. The third guy was Duke Devlin. He was another friend of theirs, a game inventor like Pegasus – except Mai had barely heard of his game. As she drove them to the pier, she listened to what’d happened.

‘All right, Tristan,’ Mai said. ‘Based on your description of those creeps, they sound like these Rare Hunters I’ve been hearing about lately.’

‘And what’s a Rare Hunter?’ Tristan asked.

‘They’re underground duellists that lie, cheat and steal. Their goal is collecting rare cards and that’s probably why they kidnapped your friends.’

In fact, Mai was sure of it.

‘This isn’t the way!’ Tristan suddenly insisted. ‘Turn around!’

‘Sure it is.’ Mai held up her locator cards. ‘See?’ She put them down again. ‘I won six locator cards. I know where they are.’

‘They’re not there, Mai,’ Tristan said. ‘I spoke to Sharee before. That’s why we tried to take cover in that arcade. They’re at a pier on the other end of the city.’

Mai glanced back at him. ‘Are you sure, Tristan?’

‘That’s what Sharee said. Let’s go!’

‘Right.’ She spun a sharp u-turn, causing cries to come out of the boys. ‘Hold on tight!’ She got to the other side of the road. ‘Do not try this at home! We’re coming to get you, guys.’

Mai headed for the pier.

***

‘I can barely contain my excitement, little Yugi,’ Marik said through Joey. ‘Say goodbye to the rest of your life points.’ He drew and looked at the card. ‘Ready to lose everything?’

Yugi tried again. ‘Come on, Joey! You gotta break free! Snap out of it, Joey! Time is running out!’ _If I bring up more old stories, maybe he’ll remember something._ ‘Come on, Joey. Don’t you remember Duellist Kingdom? You gotta try. Think back. Remember how you wanted to win so you could pay for your sister’s operation? Serenity was your inspiration, and thanks to you she’ll see again.’

Something seemed to be getting through. ‘Se…ren…i…ty…’

‘You kept your promise to her, Joey,’ Yugi said. ‘And don’t forget the pledge you made to me.’

Joey lifted his head slightly. ‘I…promised…’

‘That’s right!’ Yugi nodded. ‘And you’ve never broken a promise.’

Marik seized control again. ‘Then I promise to annihilate you, little Yugi. He played two cards. ‘So I place two cards face-down on the field.’ They appeared in front of him. ‘And end my turn. So try and attack my Panther Warrior, if you dare.’

‘Please, wake up!’ Yugi called to Joey.

‘Haven’t you realised that your friend isn’t coming back?’ Marik demanded. ‘You’re dealing with me now, and I’m about to take everything away from you.’

There was only five minutes left. ‘You’ve gotta snap out of this, Joey! Time’s running out.’ Yugi drew. ‘This trap card may help.’

‘Nothing can save you,’ Marik insisted.

‘Well, I’ll place one card face-down.’ Yugi set it and the card appeared in front of him. Time to spring his trap. Yugi had a good idea of what those two cards were. ‘And now, Beast of Gilfer, attack his Panther Warrior!’ Beast of Gilfer roared and attacked, charging across the field. ‘This is for your own good, Joey!’

Marik chuckled. ‘You’ve fallen right into my trap, little Yugi, and your foolish mistake will cost you dearly. As soon as your Beast attacks, you’re done.’

‘Don’t be so sure about that!’ Yugi called the attack. ‘Gilfer, roast his Panther with your flame attack!’ The fire streamed out of Gilfer and crossed the field.

‘Wrong! Reveal my Skull Dice.’ Marik flipped the first card up, then the second. ‘And just to make sure my move works, I’ll add this card: my Graceful Dice. Stop his attack, now!’ The cards lit up as they activated. The dice-carrying sprites emerged. ‘Graceful Dice will increase my monster’s attack points according to the role of the die. While Skull Dice reduces your monster’s strength.’ He smirked. ‘And I’m feeling very lucky today.’

‘Guess again.’

‘What?’

Yugi activated his down card and it flipped up. ‘Now I reveal my magic card, De-Spell! I’ll use it to destroy your Graceful Dice!’ A beam of light shot out of the card and hit the sprite in question. When the light faded, it was gone.

Marik growled.

‘Sorry to disappoint you, Marik, but now you can’t raise the attack points of your Panther Warrior.’

‘But I can still weaken your monster,’ Marik said. ‘Go Skull Dice!’ The sprite released the die and it tumbled to the ground. It landed. ‘A two?’ he demanded.

The attack streamed out of Gilfer as his attack points cut in half. ‘Sorry, that only cuts my monster’s attack strength in half.’

‘My Panther’s doomed!’

The blast hit. The flames wrapped around the Panther Warrior. He was destroyed. Joey’s voice growled in irritation as his arms were used to protect his face. His life points dropped to 1100.

‘You may have destroyed my Panther Warrior,’ Marik said. ‘But you’re about to lose this duel, little Yugi! In just over five minutes, you’ll sink to the bottom of the sea while I acquire your Egyptian God card and your Millennium Puzzle.’

_This is my last chance to get through to Joey and save us both!_

***

‘Yugi only has 1000 life points left,’ Mokuba said. ‘One more major attack by Joey and that anchor’s going to take him down, Seto.’

‘But if that timer runs out first, Yugi and Wheeler will both be fish food.’

Sharee considered the timer hanging over their heads. It was ticking its way towards the five minute mark. Chewing her lower lip, Sharee considered their options. She glanced at the crane operator. He seemed to be absolutely convinced that they weren’t going to try anything. What a moronic thing to think – her not trying anything. Sharee was abruptly torn out of her thoughts.

A car horn beeped. Sharee and the Kaiba brothers looked in the direction it came from. There was a blue convertible driving along the pier. The driver parked it. There were four very familiar people in it. Sharee turned more fully than Kaiba did and headed over to them.

‘Hey, Joey!’ Tristan called, standing up.

Duke stood up too. ‘Yugi!’

‘Nice to see you guys got away,’ Sharee said to Tristan.

‘Yeah, Mai picked us up.’ Tristan’s eyes flickered past her. ‘So what’s the deal there?’

‘Help us, guys!’ The voice came from behind her again.

‘Téa?’ Tristan looked to where she was.

‘Oh, for the love of God!’ Sharee spun around. ‘Do you want to be a pancake?’ She winced when Tristan and Duke shot past her, heading for her.

Mokuba quickly ran over and cut them off. ‘Don’t get any closer!’

‘What do you talking about?’ Tristan demanded as he and Duke stopped.

Mokuba looked back at the crane operator, who was now watching the new arrivals. He pointed at him. ‘Check it out. If we try to save Téa, that Rare Hunter will release the crate hanging over her head. It’s too dangerous to risk, Tristan.’

‘Why would they want to do that?’ Tristan asked as Mai led Serenity over.

‘So we don’t break up Yugi and Joey’s duel.’

‘That’s just sick!’ Tristan insisted.

Mokuba turned first, and the others did as well as he explained. ‘If you think that’s sick, Tristan, just look at the duelling setup these guys put together.’

All of their friends made sounds of disgust.

‘These guys don’t mess around,’ Mai remarked.

‘Man, what’s the deal with the anchor and the chains?’ Duke asked.

Tristan leaned forward. ‘And how come Yugi and Joey are duelling in the first place? Come on! Will someone please tell me what’s going on?’

‘Marik’s _el loco_ ,’ Sharee said before Kaiba could give any pessimistic pains.

‘Marik?’ Mai asked.

‘Marik Ishtar is the one in charge of the Rare Hunters,’ Sharee said. ‘He’s…’ She paused. ‘Well, for lack of a better term, they’ve hypnotised Joey.’ She gestured. ‘Look at his face.’ There was a silence. Sharee knew they were seeing the blank look on Joey’s face – all except Serenity.

‘Wait a minute,’ Mai said. ‘Isn’t hypnotism short term?’

‘Certain types, yes.’ Sharee scowled. ‘This is different. This particular hypnotism is done from another location and controls the victim’s words and actions. As Yugi’s discovered, it can be broken by tapping into emotional sensitivities. That’s why the Red Eyes is out and why he’s wearing Yugi’s Puzzle.’

Mokuba picked up the explanation. ‘Whoever loses gets pulled to the bottom of the sea.’

‘That’s insane!’ Tristan insisted.

Duke agreed with him. ‘We gotta stop this!’

‘But we can’t,’ Mai said.

Serenity may not have been able to see but she could still work out what was going on from their commentary. ‘My brother!’ She reached for her bandages.

Sharee, understanding the trauma that would happen if Serenity saw what was happening, stepped over and reached up. She stopped the younger girl’s hands. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to see what’s going on right now.’

‘But…’ Serenity stammered.

‘I know,’ Sharee said. ‘I know you think you do now. I’d feel the same way if it was me, and I’ve got a twin sister, but some things, once seen, cannot be unseen. There are some things you just don’t want to look at. This will be one of them. I’ll tell you when you can take your bandages off.’

Serenity hesitated for a moment before she lowered her hands and nodded.

Sharee turned her attention back to the duel as Marik spoke through Joey again. ‘The end is near, Yugi. I could just let the timer run out, destroying you and Joey, but out-duelling you will be so much more fun. And now all of your little friends are here to witness you demise! So, here goes.’ He drew. ‘One more move and you’ll be gone for good while I rule the world!’

‘I got a feeling the Reign of Marik would be very short-lived,’ Sharee muttered. She turned her head and looked over. It had occurred to her before. Taking more note, she lifted her hand. Extending her thumb, she examined the Rare Hunter. She turned her thumb horizontal, and then vertical again. She repeated the action a few times, making sure she was absolutely right.

‘What are you doing?’ Duke asked. Sharee looked over and noticed that everyone was looking at her curiously, except Serenity of course.

Sharee smiled. ‘You know what? He happens to be in a very good spot.’


	29. Friends Til the End Part IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to finish this.

Kaiba guessed he should’ve have been surprised that Yugi’s gang bang managed to find them. He, for one, was just glad Sharee was the closest one of them standing next to him. He found her far more tolerable than the others. Thing was, she seemed to have positioned herself on purpose. It was clear she had some sort of an idea.

‘The card I hold in my hand is the key to my victory,’ Marik said. ‘As soon as I play it, your world will crumble as you sink to your doom.’

‘Not if I can set Joey free from your control first, Marik!’ Yugi snapped.

‘The moment I’ve been waiting for is about to arrive. It’s all over, Yugi.’

‘No!’ Tristan cried.

‘There’s gotta be a way to put a stop to this duel,’ the other guy – the one he didn’t know – insisted. Why were there always new people in Yugi’s little gang?

‘They’ll hurt Téa.’ At least Mai was reasonable.

‘What do we do?’ Serenity asked.

Sharee turned her head. ‘Hey, Duke. That rock next to your foot. Hand it to me.’

Duke looked confused but he leaned over and picked up the rock sitting next to his foot and handed it over. Sharee examined the palm-sized hunk of earth, then glanced over at the crane operator before looking back at it. Her hand went to her waistband and stopped there. Because she wrapped her hand around it, Kaiba noticed what he hadn’t before. Along with all the pouches she had, Sharee was also carrying a slingshot. Her intentions became clear.

Mokuba made a sound of frustration. ‘Seto, isn’t there some way we can stop this without putting Téa in danger?’

Kaiba looked over, examining the Rare Hunter himself. He ignored Téa as she attempted to call out again. She didn’t seem to understand that opening her mouth was only irritating people. It was certainly irritating him. She’d already given Yugi all he needed and now it’d be better for her to sit back and shut up. That was obviously beyond her comprehension though.

‘Come on, you guys. Time is almost up! You have to stop this duel now! Forget about me! Just save Yugi and Joey! If you don’t do something soon, they’ll both be in major trouble! Please, just do it! I’ll be fine!’

Suddenly the Rare Hunter got out of the truck. ‘I wouldn’t listen to her.’

‘We can’t, Téa!’ Mokuba insisted. ‘He’ll push that button!’ Mokuba turned. ‘Come on, Seto. We can’t let Téa get hurt. She saved my life.’

Kaiba looked at his duel disk. Sharee had an idea and it was clear what it was to anyone who’d been paying attention. It’d take more than flinging a rock to get her out of there. _There may be a way to stop these Rare Hunters._ He reached up and took a hold on the microphone in his collar. ‘It’s me. Now listen up.’

***

‘Come on, Joey!’ Yugi called. ‘This is your last chance to break free!’

Joey was standing there, staring at the card in his hand. His teeth were clenched like he was uneasy. That look was beginning to come back to him. There was something different this time though. Maybe this would be it. Yugi realised, with a burst of insight, that his best friend just needed a small push.

‘This is it, Joey!’ he called. ‘You have to remember who you are – now!’

Joey’s head shifted and his eyes widened. ‘I am…Joey!’ His hand lifted to his head. Pained sounds came from him.

Yugi knew he’d been right. This was it! ‘Oh…’

‘It’s faint,’ Joey said. ‘But I also remember my friends.’ He groaned. ‘I remember…going to Duellist Kingdom and duelling my hardest to get to the top. My past…It’s real!’ His eyes suddenly widened. Marik must’ve been trying to invade his mind again. Both of Joey’s hands clamped to his head as he threw it back and screamed to the heavens.

Yugi looked over at Sharee. The others were all watching in horror – even Kaiba. She had a smile on her face though. She saw Yugi looking at her and raised her hand. As she said something to the others, she gave Yugi the “okay” sign. _So this is meant to happen when someone’s breaking their brainwashing._ Yugi looked back at Joey.

Joey collapsed to his knees. ‘Get outta my head!’ He threw his head back and screamed again. ‘I can’t! He’s my best friend! I won’t destroy Yugi!’

Yugi didn’t even want to know how many times Sharee had seen this to be able to stand there calmly while it was happening. Joey, still on his knees, rolled forward. He didn’t quite fall flat on his face, but it was a near thing.

‘Yugi’s my pal!’ He clearly needed support to get through this.

‘Fight it, Joey!’ Yugi called. ‘You can do it, Joey! I know you can! Be strong!’

‘Gotta…be strong…’ Joey’s body shook as he fought the invasion in his mind.

_Joey’s gonna do it. I know he is! Our friendship is strong and so is his will. Marik’s Millennium Rod’s got nothing on that. He’s just gotta keep fighting._ Yugi looked up at the timer. They had just under two minutes left. _And break free before that anchor falls into the ocean, taking us with it. Come on, Joey. Time is running out._ He looked back over at his best friend. _We can beat Marik at his own twisted game as soon as you wake up._ Yugi raised his voice. ‘Marik! You hide like a coward, but wherever you are I know you can hear me and I’ve got some news for you. There will be a loser in this duel, but it’s not who you’re thinking. It’s not me, and it’s not Joey either. It’s you, Marik! You will lose this duel!’ Somehow he felt the shift in dimensions. He still couldn’t see him but it was like he was standing opposite him. ‘You may have thought you could force Joey to destroy me by taking over his mind, but it looks like there’s something you didn’t take into account when you made your plan. The strength of Joey’s bond with his friends! Time maybe running out, but Joey’s back and we’re in control of this duel now. Your power over Joey has been removed and, I’d say, that means you lose!’

‘Yug…’ Joey murmured.

‘That times may run out, but since Joey is free you can’t be considered the winner of this duel,’ Yugi said. ‘Get it? Since you’re not duelling anymore, how can you possibly win this duel?’

***

Sharee chuckled. ‘Brain the size of a pea. I’d almost feel sorry for Marik…’ She folded her hands behind her head.

‘What does Yugi think he’s doing?’ Kaiba demanded. ‘That fool!’

‘Obviously, Yugi just cut through Marik’s influence over Joey,’ Sharee said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

‘Is my brother safe yet?’ Serenity asked.

Sharee lowered her hands and her eyes narrowed. ‘Not quite. Like I said, “brain the size of a pea”. I don’t think Marik’s quite absorbed it yet. He’ll keep trying. In the meantime, Joey’s gonna have one ugly headache.’

‘Yugi!’ Téa called. ‘Time is running out!’

Sharee turned her head and yelled over. ‘Then will you let the man work?’ That was probably mean, but de-brainwashing someone was a delicate process. Distractions had to be kept down to a minimum.

‘Come on, guys,’ Mai murmured. ‘End this.’

***

‘What are you gonna do now, Marik?’ Yugi demanded. ‘Just wait in your little hideaway until you lose this duel? This is your last chance for victory! So come and get me! Joey can’t be controlled so it’s up to you!’

The card in Joey’s hand glowed. Joey looked at it and his limb started to shake. ‘I…can’t!’ He grabbed his head again and thew it back, screaming once more. This time a visible glow extended from the card and outlined him. Somehow he got his feet under him. The glowing eye appeared on his forehead, meaning that Marik had exercised the full power of the Millennium Rod on him. Sure enough, a look of pure mindless insanity came onto Joey’s face.

‘It’s over, Yugi.’ This was now purely Marik. He played the card. ‘I activate Meteor of Destruction!’ A glowing purple vortex appeared over their heads. Lightning flashed around and a fireball began to come out of the eye of the vortex.

Yugi gave a cry of alarm.

‘You dare to disrespect my power?’ Marik crowed. ‘Looks like your friend is weaker than you thought. Who’s loosing now?’ The fireball shot down, heading right for Yugi. He watched it come, knowing exactly how to stop it but also aware that Joey needed that extra incentive.

Yugi wasn’t sure how he felt the burst of power but he heard the loud grunt from Joey as he broke free from the effects of the Millennium Rod. He grinned. ‘You did it!’  
Powerful purple energy streamed out of Joey’s body as he screamed. Then he slumped. For a few moments, he stood there like that. Joey suddenly lifted his head, eyes wide and alarmed. ‘Yugi!’

Yugi nodded. He felt the tears in his eyes. _I knew Joey’s heart was too strong for Marik. There’s only one thing left to do._ ‘Trap card, activate!’ His face-down card lifted, revealing itself. ‘Mystical Refpanel will stop Marik’s meteor. The meteor in question collided with the sprite, holding the panel, that’d emerged. The effects would still be seen within through. ‘My trap card has absorbed the effects of Marik’s Meteor of Destruction card. ‘Now my Mystical Refpanel can redirect the Meteor’s attack wherever I want. I’m not going to put you in danger, Joey.’

Joey looked at him, surprised. ‘Yugi…’

Yugi smiled and nodded again.

***

_Yugi has quite a predicament on his hands. Thanks to the Mystical Refpanel, he has the power to control the outcome of this duel, leaving him with a difficult decision. He can either direct the attack towards Wheeler…_ Kaiba thought broke of as he gasped and realised what Yugi was really going to do. ‘…Or chose to destroy himself.’ He redirected his gaze. ‘And if either of them try to escape, then Téa’s done for!’ _Unless the plan works. But time is running out._

What was taking that chopper so long?

***

Joey looked down at the Puzzle in his hands. He looked at his friend in confusion. ‘Why am I wearing your Millennium Puzzle?’

‘Because I gave it to you, Joey,’ Yugi said. ‘When I was trying to help you remember our friendship.’

Joey was officially confused, and he told Yugi as much. ‘I’m confused.’

‘Marik tried to turn you against me.’ Yugi explained it. ‘But our friendship ended up being stronger than his powers. And giving you my Puzzle helped you to break free. You’re my best friend, Joey, and no evil magic can take that away. And now I have to put an end to this duel. But, remember, we defeated Marik together, Joey.’

Why was he talking like that?

It sounded suspiciously like a farewell speech.

***

Téa called out to them again. ‘You guys better do something soon or…’

‘Or what?’ Joey asked.

‘Or you’re both in trouble!’ Téa insisted.

‘Joey, allow me to make more sense.’ Sharee had enough of Téa’s panicking. ‘You and Yugi are both shackled to that anchor hanging above your heads.’

Joey looked up with a cry of alarm.

‘When that timer runs out, the anchor drops, taking both of you with it.’ Sharee continued. ‘Unless this duel has a winner, in which case the box at the winner’s feet opens, then gives them a key and thirty seconds to unlock their cuff.’ She paused. ‘And that’s exactly how long you have to win or lose.’

To her right, Kaiba tensed. He knew as well as she did that it was too late. Maybe Sharee was just better at this sort of thing because she was used to people trying to kill her and she saw it as “another day at the office”. Sharee suddenly heard chopper blades and she, along with everyone else, turned. Kaiba’s helicopter flew over the top of the warehouse.

‘It’s one of Kaiba’s choppers!’ Tristan stated the obvious. ‘But who’s flying that thing?’

‘No one,’ Mokuba said. ‘It’s remote controlled.’

Kaiba looked at her. ‘Have you done this sort of thing before?’

‘Naturally.’ Sharee yanked out her slingshot. In a single motion, she loaded the rock into the slingshot and aimed, then she released the rock. All of this happened in under a second. The projectile sailed across the pier and hit the Rare Hunter, smack in the face, just as he hopped out of the truck. He fell back and didn’t move. The rock had hit him in the temple.  
A ladder was cast down as the chopper swooped overhead. Sharee timed herself and jumped up, sliding her foot into the lowest rung. Her arm slid around and wrapped around one higher up the ladder. Her slingshot went back to her waistband. She felt a tug in her side, but ignored it. As the chopper flew her over, Sharee noticed that the crane operator was the only Rare Hunter around. The chopper flew her over and Sharee hopped down, landing right next to Téa.

‘Sharee, don’t worry about me!’ Téa insisted. ‘You’ve gotta stop…’

_Whap!_ Téa started as she was cut off. It was clear she hadn’t been expected to be even lightly slapped across the face. She looked up at Sharee, shocked. The other brunette leaned on the back of the chair and smiled.

‘Téa, do us a favour, yeah?’ she said. ‘Don’t talk when you’re panicking. You’re just repeating the same things over and over again. It gets really annoying.’

Everyone looked up as the chopper caught the top of the crane and dragged the whole lot into the ocean. There was an explosion, causing a massive wave that splashed both of them. Sharee hit the switches that released Téa from the shackles. She straightened up and turned as the others called out.

‘Téa!’

They were all running over – except Kaiba. He was walking over. As Téa and the others babbled amongst each other, Sharee watched the CEO. He stopped by the Rare Hunter and nudged him with his foot. Then he bent over. Kaiba straightened and looked at Sharee for a moment. She could get in a lot of trouble.

No one but Sharee saw Seto Kaiba push the body into the sea.

***

‘There’s not much time left,’ Yugi said. ‘If one of us doesn’t win, we’ll both be pulled under. And there’s no way I’m gonna let that happen Joey.’

‘What are you saying, Yug?’ Joey had a nasty feeling he knew.

‘I’m saying that I’ve decided to save you, Joey.’

Joey had been afraid of that.

‘There’s no point in both of us going down.’ Tears were visible in Yugi’s eyes. ‘And if I lose, you’re safe.’

Joey’s whole gut reacted against that. ‘But…’ Yugi was his best friend. He couldn’t let him die for him! ‘I can’t let you do this, Yug.’

Tears rolled down Yugi’s face. ‘It’s my decision. So now…’

‘No, Yugi!’ Joey ignored the tears in his own eyes. How could he even think of looking tough right now?

‘Take care of my Puzzle,’ Yugi said. ‘Now it’s time. Refpanel, direct your attack toward me!’ The Refpanel turned and faced Yugi. The fiery meteor shot out of the panel and headed right for Yugi.

The scream came out of Joey’s mouth without any thought. ‘Yugiiiiiii!’

When the fire and smoke cleared, Yugi was lying on the wooden boards. His life points dropped to zero and the box at Joey’s feet opened, revealing the key to the shackles.

‘The key! But I can’t just save myself.’ There was no way Joey would let his best friend die. ‘I gotta help Yugi too.’

Yugi lifted his head. ‘Joey, free yourself now. You’ve only got thirty seconds to make it out, then the anchor falls. You have to unlock your chains now. Come on, Joey. And hurry, before the anchor falls and pulls you under.’

How could Joey only save himself though?

***

Sharee stopped next to Serenity. She’d stayed right where they’d left her. She could see what’d happened. Yugi was quite a guy for self-sacrifice, but Joey could be just as bad. He shook his head.

‘Forget it!’ he insisted. ‘No way am I letting my best friend become shark-bait.’

Yugi struggled to pull his duel disk from his arm.

‘We’re in this together, Yug, and there’s no way I’m letting you take the fall! We’re gonna make it outta this.’

Yugi got the duel disk off and set it aside.

‘Don’t give up, Yugi!’ Joey shook in fear. ‘I’ll think of something!’ Then…he seemed to. It seemed to be an attempt to get the Red Eyes to wipe out his life points too. It was a good idea, but it fell flat. Yugi’s box opened but he couldn’t grab the key.

Sharee laid her hand on Serenity’s shoulder as Joey came up with an alternate plan. ‘You can take the bandages off now.’

Joey was talking to Yugi. ‘…this time, Joey’s gonna be the one doing the rescuing! You taught me about courage and never giving up.’

Serenity’s bandages dropped around her neck, and she cast them away. For a moment she stood there with her eyes closed. Then, slowly, she opened her eyes. It would take a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light again. ‘I can see.’

‘Hang in there, Yugi.’ Joey took off his own duel disk and the Millennium Puzzle. Then he grabbed the chain on his side of the field. You’ll be outta those chains in no time.’ He ran and jumped.

Serenity’s first sight was her brother swinging across the water, on a chain, to his best friend…with some kind of weird battle cry. Her eyes widened. ‘It’s Joey.’

Joey reached out. ‘Almost there! Gotta beat the clock!’ His hand wrapped around the key. ‘Got it!’ The timer hit zero. The bomb exploded and the anchor plunged into the water, taking both boys with them.

‘That anchor is going to drag both of them down!’ Téa exclaimed.

Tristan, at least was more productive, but not really that logical. He charged after them. ‘Joey!’

‘Tristan!’ Joey called.

Tristan tried to grab his hand but he fell short and Joey went under with Yugi. Téa gave a shrill scream that really rubbed on Sharee’s nerves. She then collapsed to her knees on the floorboards, crying out.

‘No! Yugi! Joey!’

Sharee looked around at everyone. They all looked dejected and mournful, like the boys were already dead. ‘Oh, for the love of God!’ If they hadn’t inhaled any water, yet, they’d be fine, for now. ‘What’s the matter? Can’t anybody swim?’ That said, she grabbed her lock pick and dived into the sea.

Lesson the first: sometimes people die because other people give up.

***

When Sharee went under the water, a small amount of blood floated up. Tristan felt a rush of worry. Besides, she was right…that and he hadn’t realised she actually had a lock pick on her. Bearing all that in mind, Tristan dived into the water too. The saltiness stung his eyes but he forced himself to keep them open.

Tristan could soon easily see where the others were. Yugi was floating in the water, with Joey at the cuff on his leg and Sharee swimming towards them both. Tristan swum down. As Joey got Yugi free, Sharee grabbed him and pulled him up. She looked towards the surface, seeing him coming, she smiled. Tristan wasn’t too far behind her so she just passed Yugi up to him.

Tristan grabbed Yugi and pulled him up onto his back. He swum upwards and Sharee started manoeuvring herself down to Joey’s cuff. It seemed harder than it had been for him to get to Yugi. Tristan broke the surface. There were cries of alarm from all their friends. He pulled Yugi over to their friends and Téa was the first one over, pulling Yugi up. He gasped in the much-needed oxygen as she slumped against the wood. But at least he was safe.

‘Where’s Joey?’ Mokuba asked.

‘Still down there,’ Tristan said. ‘Sharee’s having trouble getting to his lock.’

Before anyone else could move, there was a second splash. Everyone – except Yugi – twisted around. Serenity had dived in after her brother. God, was it a family trait, putting your own safety aside like that?

***

It was more that the stupid thing was jammed that was Sharee’s problem. She knew people could only hold their breaths for so long before they inhaled water. It’d be easier if she had the key. Oh, well, going up to get it would take far too much time. She had to get the lock like this.

Sharee suddenly felt a disturbance in the water again. It didn’t come from her or Joey, but it did ripple against her skin. She turned her head and looked up again. She wasn’t really surprised, to be honest, not to see Serenity Wheeler swimming down. She was more surprised at the speed the younger girl was moving.

_She swims pretty fast for someone whose been in and out of hospital most of her life._

It must’ve been a natural talent. Something was clenched in her fist as she swum down. When she swum down alongside Sharee, she saw what it was. Serenity had grabbed the key. She must not have seen the lock pick in Sharee’s hand – which was understandable – or she wouldn’t have bothered getting it.

Serenity quickly unlocked the cuff around Joey’s ankle and both girls grabbed him, pulling him up to the surface. When they broke through the water, all of them gasped for breath. Sharee turned and swam over to where their friends were. They’d already pulled Yugi out.

‘They did it!’ Téa cried.

Sharee chuckled and pulled herself up so she was sitting on the edge of the boards. ‘Téa, it isn’t that hard to unlock a shackle…’ She grinned at Serenity. ‘…when you’ve got the key.’ In fact, Sharee already liked that girl.

As they chuckled, Joey looked down at his sister in concern. ‘Serenity, but how?’

Serenity lifted her head and smiled. ‘Tristan and Mai brought me here after we tracked you guys down.’

Yugi suddenly noticed that he was not the only one to escape. ‘Joey, hey!’

Joey looked over at them and gave a wide smile. ‘Yugi! What’s up?’ He and Serenity swum over.

‘Not that I want to interrupt this reunion,’ Mai spoke up. ‘But I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Sharee.’

Sharee looked at her. ‘Go ahead.’

‘When you dived into the water some blood came to the surface.’ At Mai’s statement, everyone looked at her in concern.

‘Huh?’ Sharee stood up. ‘I must’ve pulled some stiches with that helicopter stunt then.’

‘Stiches?’ Yugi asked.

‘Hm.’ That had to have been what the tug she felt was. Sharee lifted her shirt enough to show her bandages. They were still bound tightly around her middle. The bandages were white and clean now though. She had to be right. ‘Well, I’m not bleeding at present.’

‘How come there’s no blood on the bandages then?’ Serenity asked.

Duke answered that one. ‘Because the salt water would have washed it away.’

Sharee tugged her shirt down again. ‘Okay. No biggie, then.’

***

The sun was going down. Everyone was out of the water, but those that’d taken that swim were still a bit damp. Sharee had finished ringing off her hair, at least. Yugi was always amazed and the amount of water she managed to get rid of. Right now, they had something else to deal with though.

‘Yugi, I’m, uh…’ Joey tried again. ‘Well, er…’ He forced it out. ‘I’m sorry, man!’ He growled in agitated.

‘It’s okay,’ Yugi said. ‘It’s not your fault.’

‘But I almost destroyed our friendship!’ Joey insisted.

Yugi lifted his head. ‘Yeah, but in the end, not only did you save our friendship, you saved me.’

Joey turned back to him. ‘I had no choice. Once I realised what I was doing to you…I had to make it right or do myself in trying, Yugi. Ever since we’ve been friends, we’ve always kept any eye out for each other. I wasn’t going to let some Rare Hunter creep change that. Even if…’ His fist shook in anger. ‘Even if my brain was turned to mush!’

‘It’s okay,’ Yugi said.

‘But that Marik made a complete fool outta me,’ Joey protested.

‘Don’t feel too bad.’ Sharee grinned. ‘Marik made a bigger fool out of himself. He already attacked my family, which completely failed by the way, and then I kicked his butt. Then I warned him that some people just have too strong of wills to be controlled for very long.’ She chuckled ‘Guess he had to learn it the hard way.’

‘I guess that makes me feel a little better,’ Joey said. ‘Still, how can I show my face at the finals now?’

Mai suddenly came over. _THWACK!_ In a move Yugi wasn’t expecting, she slapped Joey across the face. ‘Will you get a grip, please? You showed some real courage out there, Joey. So who cares about how you looked?’

Joey looked at her in surprise, nursing his cheek. ‘Just like the courage you showed at Duellist Kingdom when you duelled for your sister, remember that? What she did today, she did because of you. You’re her idol…ding-dong!’

‘What kind of idol gets turned into a zombie and then almost destroys his best friend?’ Joey demanded.

‘A real one.’ Sharee cut off the rest of what he was about to say. Joey looked at her in surprise. She smiled. ‘When most people have idols, they’re shown as something more than human. That leaves a person with unrealistic expectations. They get let down and become angry and pessimistic later in life. At least with a real idol, a person will see how things really are and not just what’s glamorous.’

Sometimes Yugi wondered if Sharee really was sixteen.

Joey hesitated. ‘…I guess.’

‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself!’ Tristan snapped. ‘Serenity gets her strength from you! That’s why she waited til now to take her bandages off.’

‘Huh?’ Joey twisted his head. ‘Serenity, you can see now!’

‘Hm-mm.’ Serenity nodded. ‘I was afraid at first, but hearing you save Yugi inspired me. After I took my bandages off and opened my eyes, you showed me what courage was all about, Joey.’ Tears gathered in her eyes. ‘I just had to dive in.’

Joey turned to her. ‘Really?’

‘I made it through my operation because of you,’ Serenity said. ‘You’ve always been there for me.’ She lifted a hand to her eyes and sobbed once. ‘Today, it was my turn to be there for you, big brother!’ She shot forward and hugged him.

Joey smiled and hugged her back.

‘Joey, I’d say we’re a pretty good team,’ she said.

Yugi smiled as they watched this. ‘I’m glad we’re all together, guys.’

Joey looked over. ‘You said it, Yug.’

***

The sun had gone down and everyone had now dried off.

‘Well, I’m sure glad that’s over,’ Téa said.

‘Ditto,’ Tristan remarked.

Joey put the Millennium Puzzle back around Yugi’s neck. ‘Hey, Yugi, I believe this is yours.’ He stepped back and smiled. ‘Thanks for everything, pal.’

‘Thank you for saving my life, Joey,’ Yugi said.

‘Hey, Yug.’ Joey grinned. ‘I’m glad that Millennium Puzzle is back where it belongs.’

Yugi looked down and took the Puzzle in his hands. _That reminds me: I owe a big thanks to you too, Pharaoh. You trusted me enough to let me handle this on my own. I could never have broken through to Joey if you didn’t believe in me. You and I make a great team, but it’s also nice to know that I have the strength to hold my own if I have to. And you helped me find that strength, inside myself._

The Pharaoh looked at Yugi, thinking. That had been quite an episode. It’d brought something to his attention that he hadn’t thought of before. Shamee came from Sharee’s Bandanna and stopped next to him.

‘What’s the problem, Pharaoh?’ she asked. ‘You look pensive.’

The Pharaoh looked at her. ‘With his kindness, Yugi is going to surpass even me.’

‘That’s a bad thing?’ she asked. ‘They’ve got a saying in this time period: the best way to thank a teacher is to surpass him.’

They looked at their young charges and their friends.

‘Hey, anyone hungry?’ Tristan asked.

‘I’m starving,’ Joey said.

The Kaiba brothers turned and started to leave.

Yugi called after him. ‘Hey, Kaiba.’

Kaiba stopped. ‘Hm?’ But he didn’t turn around.

‘We couldn’t have gotten out of that mess without you,’ Yugi said.

Kaiba looked back. ‘I did what I had to, Yugi. Got it?’

‘Well, thank you.’ Yugi was still polite enough to thank someone when they helped him, no matter what the reason.

Kaiba continued on. ‘I’ll see you at the Battle City Finals.’ With that, he and Mokuba left.

‘Guess that means “you’re welcome”,’ Tristan remarked.

_In all this insanity, I forgot about the finals. That could be where Marik will strike next. This fight is far from over and whenever Marik comes back, I’ll be ready for him._


	30. Shadow of a Duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The evil entities make the next step in their plans.

‘We showed that Marik creep, didn’t we!’ For someone who’d just been brainwashed, Joey was still his usual self. ‘Now we can focus on the Battle City Finals.’

Sharee considered that might have been because of the Tylenol she’d just given him. She chuckled. ‘And how’s the headache?’

Joey slumped and clamped a hand to his head. ‘Fine, until you bring it up.’

The rest of their friends laughed. Sharee smiled to herself. _Hopefully, Marik’s learnt a thing or two. Though I expect it’ll take a lot more than this for him to suck it up and go home with his tail tucked between his legs._

Joey spoke to his sister. ‘Serenity,’ he turned around, ‘I wont forget how you saved my life back there.’

Serenity looked surprised.

‘And now that you can see again, you’ll be able to watch me duel all the way to the top and win the Battle City Finals, sis!’

‘Hm-mm.’ Serenity nodded.

Mai made an exasperated sound and stepped over, draping an arm over the youngest girl’s shoulder as she turned her around. ‘Look, Serenity, I know your really excited to see your big brother duelling in the Finals, but I’ll tell you,’ she waved her finger, ‘between us, girlfriend, Joey’s not gonna last too much longer in the Battle City Tournament.’ She gave the blond in question a sly look. ‘Especially once he has to face me in a duel.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ Joey demanded. ‘Who beat who last time?’

‘Oh, yay!’ Sharee chuckled again. ‘Duellist High!’

‘The what?’ Téa asked. 

‘You know,’ Sharee said. ‘That thing everybody gets when they get into any Tournament Finals.’

Mai laughed and stepped away from Serenity. ‘That’s what it is.’ She looked at Joey. ‘As for your victory last time, pure luck! Besides, Duellist Kingdom’s ancient history and this time I plan to wipe out both of you boys.’

Yugi, ever the peace-maker, said, ‘I’m sure you’ll be tough to beat, Mai.’

‘Forget about her, Yugi.’ Joey gave him the thumb’s up. ‘After what you and I have been through, the rest of this tournament’s gonna be a breeze.’ He lowered his hand. ‘Speaking of which, it’s time to use our locator cards and find out where the Finals are being held. So let’s do this!’

Yugi nodded.

Joey pulled out his six locator cards and held them up. ‘All right! Here we come, Battle City Finals!’ He activated his duel disk and slid the cards into the six slots. ‘Word on the street is we put ‘em on our duel disks and the secret site is revealed.’ The duel disk on his arm glowed brightly as the transmission was sent up to Kaiba’s Satellite.

‘That makes sense to me,’ Mai said.

Tristan was definitely impressed. ‘Check it out!’ A beam of light shot out from the device on Joey’s arm. The others around them made sounds of awe.

‘It’s projecting something!’ Téa observed.

A 3-D holographic image appeared in front of them. Sharee nearly rolled her eyes at Téa’s statement. _How did you think it was going to work?_

‘What is it?’

‘It’s so cool!’

The image shot a beam of light into the sky as it took shape. Sharee recognised a very specific part of the city before anyone else did. The aforementioned beam was clearly serving as a pointer. It was the only indicator on the map and pointed quite directly to one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

‘It kinda looks like a stadium,’ Yugi said.

‘It is.’ Sharee folded her arms. ‘KaibaCorp Stadium to be specific.’

‘But how do we get there?’ Tristan asked.

The computer voice activated. ‘Congratulations. Our Satellite Network has confirmed that you are a Battle City Finalist. Stand by for directions to KaibaCorp Stadium.’

***

Bakura found something of great interest inside of his mind. The thing was for too long now, he’d been nothing more than an observer to his own body. Sometimes he really envied Yugi and Sharee, having spirits that allowed them their free will. Bakura was not so fortunate. He could do nothing but watch the conversation taking place in his own body. The Evil Spirit and Marik met in the landscape of his mind.

‘Seems everything’s going according to plan,’ Marik said.

The Evil Spirit landed opposite him. ‘Yes, and I’ve already done more than I agreed to do. I took care of Bakura like you asked so you could rescue him, Marik, and gain the trust of those fools. It’s your turn.’

‘You’ll get my Millennium Rod and the other items when you complete your end of the bargain.’

The Evil Spirit turned his head in irritation. ‘Look, my patience is growing thin, Marik. What’s the next part of the plan?’

‘You’ll obtain a duel disk and enter the Battle City Tournament Finals.’ He lifted his Millennium Rod. ‘I’ll hand over the objects you seek if you can win me the cards that I desire.’

The Evil Spirit laughed.

Marik lowered the Rod. ‘Huh?’

Folding his arms across his chest, the Evil Spirit smirked. ‘I guess you’re not duellist enough to win them yourself.’ He turned away. ‘Or is there something else you’re not telling me about this scheme of yours, Marik?’

Marik’s eyes narrowed. ‘Ha. Do you want the Millennium Items or don’t you? If so, I suggest you do as I say. Time to enter the finals is running out.’ He jumped back, levitating himself into the air. ‘You’ll need to obtain six locator cards in order to qualify.’ He disappeared into the landscape of Bakura’s mind with a boisterous laugh.

‘Fine, Marik,’ the Evil Spirit said.

***

Dennis pushed the hospital door open and cursed. Bakura’s bed was empty, the covers thrown back like he just got up and walked out. Solomon Moto was on the floor, doubled over with his face pressing against the carpet. The Egyptologist rushed in and leaned over the old man.

‘Mr. Moto?’ He rolled him over. The aged man groaned. _At least he’s conscious._ ‘Mr. Moto, what happened?’

‘Bakura…’ He gasped in pain. ‘He woke up and immediately stood up. There was some kind of Millennium Item that just appeared. He punched me and I fell.’

Dennis cursed. ‘Don’t worry. That wasn’t Bakura. The Item you saw was the Millennium Ring. It’s got a spirit inside it too but, unlike what Yugi and Sharee have, Bakura’s is evil.’ He straightened up. ‘Stay here. I’ll look for him.’

Dennis bolted out of the room. He paused outside the door. _If I were an ancient evil spirit, where would I go to sneak out of a hospital…?_ It came to him. ‘Naturally.’ He turned and ran out the back way. He ran through the car park and out the door that led to the alleyway at the back of the hospital. The first thing he saw was a lanky kid shivering, sitting at the base of the opposite building.

‘Hey, kid!’ Dennis called. ‘Did you see a white-haired boy anywhere around here?’

The shivering kid looked up, alarmed. ‘Y-yeah. He took my duel disk and my locator card.’

‘Shit!’ Dennis pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Sharee will need to know about this.

***

The Evil Spirit walked through the cemetery. ‘Not a duellist in sight. Those fools deceived me.’ He heard something ahead and stopped. ‘Hm?’ Three men suddenly emerged from the surrounding area. Two were in front of him and one was behind. Their faces would look dried up and dead to those with poor eyesight. He could see, though, that they were actually made of plastic.

‘This is our turf!’ the one behind him stated.

‘What is the meaning of this?’ the Evil Spirit asked, because he really didn’t know.

The one behind him jumped at him. ‘I’ll show you!’

The Evil Spirit calmly waited until the moron was right behind him, and then he side-stepped. His hand snapped out and snatched the mask from the man’s face. Tossing it aside, the Spirit grabbed the fool’s wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. The human cried out in pain.

The Spirit calmly looked over his shoulder. There was a duel disk lying on the ground, where this idiot had dropped it. ‘So you are duellists.’ He looked past the one he had a hold on to the other two. ‘If this is how you eliminate the competition, you’re even more hopeless than you look.’ He pushed the human forward and watched with satisfaction and he stumbled over to the others.

The buffoon spun around.

‘You’re no match for my strength so we’ll do things my way.’ The Evil Spirit placed a hand on his hip. ‘I possess one locator card. If you’d like to have it, you’ll have to duel me for it.’

‘Fine.’ The shortest moron lifted his hand and pointed at him. ‘We have five locator cards, so once we win yours, we’ll go straight to the Battle City Finals. What d’ya say, guys?’

The unmasked one stared at him. ‘I seen him before.’ He rubbed his chin. ‘But who knows where? I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast today.’

‘Just duel him?’ The third man – a tall and lanky human – pulled his mask off. ‘And win that card, Bonez.’

The short one put his duel disk on. ‘I can duel fair and square, especially if it means a trip to the Finals.’

‘If we’re going to duel, then take off your mask and show me your face,’ the Spirit said.

The short fool tore the mask away. It looked like it was just a cheap replica of his own face. ‘I’m afraid you don’t stand a ghost of a chance in a duel against me. So put up your locator card and let’s do this.’

Mortals were always so easy to work. ‘If you’re so confident, why not raise the stakes?’ The Evil Spirit raised his locator card. ‘The winner takes all.’

The three humans over there gasped.

‘Not likely,’ the skinny one said.

The big one sneered and waved his hand at it. ‘You thin we’re dumb enough to risk all five cards?’

A goading was required, it seemed. ‘Your cowardice comes as no surprise, but let me remind you the finals begin soon and you’re running out of time.’

The big guy started. ‘Hm? He’s right!’

‘I have stated my case clearly, and if you are wise you will duel me. The winner will go to the Battle City Finals.’

‘I accept your challenge.’ Bonez activated his duel disk. ‘Besides, with only one locator card, you can’t be much of a duellist anyway.’

‘Accepting my challenge was your first mistake.’ The Evil Spirit activated his own duel disk. ‘And once I’m through with you, it will be your last!’

***

‘Mother!’

When she heard her son call, the dark-skinned woman rushed to where he was. Her little boy was crouched behind a tombstone, watching something on the path. Someone had shifted them to the Shadow Realm for this duel. Crouching down behind him and looking herself, she easily saw who.

_And, really, who else would it be?_

The Evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring sneered at the three boys before him. ‘If you want my locator card you’ll have to be prepared for anything.’ At the moment, she couldn’t tell if it was the Dark One or the Thief King.

Two of the three mortals looked around in confusion.

The big one was the first to protest. ‘Hey, this fog’s as thick as…uh, a really thick soup!’

‘Time to begin our duel.’ The Spirit drew. ‘So get ready…’ He looked at the first card he’d pulled from the deck. Before he took his move, though, he decided to give them a little scare. ‘Are you aware of the legend of this cemetery?’

The short one drew back. ‘What legend?’

‘Listen.’ The Evil Spirit played the card. ‘This very cemetery is haunted by the ghost of a knight who lost his head in battle.’

‘What?’ the duellist demanded.

The Spirit went on, clearly enjoying this. ‘When the clock strikes midnight, he rises up from his grave in search of his missing head.’

‘I…don’t believe you!’ Even as he said it, the short guy certainly looked spooked.

_By the Gods, modern day people are easily frightened._

The Evil Spirit cackled in laughter as his monster exploded out of the ground. ‘Headless Knight!’ As he’d said, it was really a headless knight, with a sword in hand. It had an attack power of 1450. The boy jumped back with a cry of alarm. His eyes were bugged and his already-pale face went even paler. He made frightened little noises.

_Really?_

The big guy looked at him, annoyed. ‘Your face is scarier than that Duel Monsters card, Bonez!’

This seemed to calm him down. ‘Hey, I didn’t see it coming!’ he insisted.

‘All right.’ The Spirit pulled a card from his hand. ‘I’ll place one card face-down.’ He set the card and a three-dimensional image of it appeared in front of him, vastly enlarged. She knew it was some kind of projection but…What were those things called again? He kept going. ‘I’m afraid the worst is yet to come.’

Bonez drew back with a noise of alarm. ‘This guy’s creeping me out!’ He drew. ‘I’ll show him.’ He played the card he’d drawn. ‘Now, I’ll dig out Snake-Hair, the Sorceress!’ The card appeared in front of him, flipped up and the monster emerged from within. She had an attack power of 1500.

‘Mother?’ her son whispered.

‘Yes?’

‘Why did they summon their monsters differently?’

‘Because the modern-day humans don’t have Shadow Powers.’

‘That doesn’t seem very fair.’

‘Few things are.’

He quietened as the duel proceeded.

‘She’ll bury your Knight in no time!’ Bonez pointed across the field as he called out the command. ‘Snake-Hair, destroy his Headless Knight with your Stone Blizzard attack!’ The monster’s eyes flashed and she waved her arms before shooting out a sort of eye-beam attack, a shrill cry coming from her.

The Knight was destroyed by the blast. The Spirit raised his arms against the intensity of the attack. His life points dropped to 3950. This one minor victory meant that Bonez started to get cocky. He lived in a world that was not prepared for the strategical complexities of warfare. He would suffer for it.

‘So, it looks like your Knight just lost a lot more than his head,’ he said.

‘Wrong.’ Of course it was. ‘I assure you, you haven’t seen the last of my Headless Knight so observe and learn.’ He drew and added the card to his hand. ‘I reveal my face-down card.’ The card in question flipped up. ‘And it’s Shallow Grave.’ The ground shook as a coffin rose up from it.

‘What’s that, mother?’

She had a basic understanding of what it was. ‘It’s like a sarcophagus except much simpler in design and available to everyone – also, it was put in the ground rather than a tomb.’  
The coffin came to stop just in front of the card. The Evil Spirit explained. ‘This magic card allows me to revive one monster from my graveyard and place it back on the field in defence mode.’ He took the card from his duel disk and held it up. ‘So, welcome back, my Headless Knight.’

The lid of the coffin was pushed open from the inside. It slid across until it overbalanced and crashed to the ground below. The Headless Knight rose from the inside and stood up, sword in hand. This time, though, his attack power was at 1700.

The big guy leaned forward. ‘Look out, Bonezy! That Headless guy came back from the grave!’

The lanky guy looked over at him. ‘Wake up, Zygor! Snake-Hair’s still got more attack points than that flimsy Knight.’

‘Oh, yeah, you got a point there, Sid.’ Zygor chuckled.

The Evil Spirit took a card from his hand. ‘This monster maybe too weak, but watch as I sacrifice my Headless Knight in order to summon a creature stronger than your Snake-Hair.’ A vortex appeared underneath the Knight. ‘Rise up, Earl of Demise!’ The vortex became a portal. The Knight and his coffin sank down into it, disappearing from the field. The portal glowed for a moment, pink tendrils extending out from it. Then the whole lot shattered and a new monster was in its place.

The Earl of Demise looked like a long-dead aristocrat from pre-revolutionary France. His skin was blue and, even from the distance, clearly rubbery. He looked like he’d been blinded in one eye and his back was hunched. He held a rapier in his hand. His attack points stood at 2000.

‘Oh, no.’ Bonez jumped back. ‘My monster’s a goner!’

The Spirit gave the order. ‘And now, Earl of Demise, attack with your Sword of Peril!’ The Earl leapt forward and slashed Snake-Hair in half. The other monster was destroyed, shattering to pieces.

‘No! Snake-Hair!’ As Bonez watched his monster die from behind his arm, his life points dropped to 3500.

The Evil Spirit laughed as the effects of his attack cleared. ‘Have you amateurs had enough punishment yet?’

Bonez ground his teeth. ‘We’ll see which one of us is an amateur when I do this!’ He drew and played his card. ‘I summon Dragon Zombie!’ The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it. The monster stood with an attack power of 1600. He played a second card. ‘Now I’ll unearth my Magic Burial card!’ It appeared on the field, flipped up. A hand shot out of the ground and a familiar monster pulled itself up out of the ground. ‘Look familiar? This magic card costs me 800 life points…’ They dropped down to 2700. ‘…but since it brings Snake-Hair back from the grave, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.’ He pulled another card from his hand. ‘Especially once I activate my Polymerisation card.’ The card flashed onto the field and flipped up. It begun slowly sucking the two monsters inside. ‘It fuses my two monsters together, creating a monster so terrifying it will send shivers down your spine.’ The Dragon Zombie and Snake-Hair fell into the card. ‘Behold! The Great Mammoth of Goldfine! You are finished.’ The card glowed brightly and the Mammoth emerged. It looked like only the skeleton, with only one eye to see through. Its attack power stood at 2200. He pulled another card from his hand. ‘Since fusion monsters have to wait one turn before attacking, I’ll lay one card face-down.’ He set the card. ‘And then I’ll wait for you to make your next move.’ The card appeared in front of him.

The Evil Spirit regarded him, and his Mammoth, calmly.

‘Hey!’ Bonez was clearly growing impatient. ‘Are you gonna draw or what?’

‘With pleasure.’ He drew.

‘Oo!’ Bonez suddenly interrupted his turn. ‘I’m playing a trap card. Skull Invitation!’ His face-down card flipped up. ‘Now, every time one of your monsters is destroyed my Skull Invitation card will severely damage your life points!’ He laughed arrogantly. ‘So when my Great Mammoth of Goldfine destroys your Earl of Demise in my next turn, you will lose 300 extra life points automatically. Ha!’ He raised his duel disk. ‘Talk about having one foot in the grave. You are finished, bud!’

Of course, the Evil Spirit started sniggering, then that turned to laughing.

‘Huh?’ Bonez drew back, confused.

‘Your trap card is meaningless to me,’ the Spirit said. ‘To prove it, I’ll send every card in my hand to the card graveyard.’ He raised his hand and then did exactly as he said he would, sliding them into the slot.

‘What?’ Bonez demanded.

Sid perched his hand on his hip. ‘This bloke must be mad as a hatter to make that move. You can’t lose, Bonezy.’

‘Yeah.’ Bonez smirked. The card activated. ‘Skull Invitation, do your dirty work.’ The Skull beast streaked out from the card, curling and weaving across the field. It twisted around the host body that the Spirit was using.

His life points dropped to 2750.

‘That’s right!’ Zygor clenched his fist. ‘Squeeze the life points right out him!’

The beast slowly faded away. The Evil Spirit chuckled, unfazed.

‘Now what’s so funny?’ Bonez demanded.

‘You’ll soon find out.’ The Spirit straightened up. ‘Not only are you about to lose this duel, but when I’m done with you…’ His eyes narrowed. ‘…you’ll lose so much more.’

For the first time, the boys seemed to acknowledge the danger they were in.

The Spirit willingly explained. ‘You were so distracted by the hopeless thought of winning my locator card and a chance into the Finals, you failed to notice I’ve played a magic card.’   
The card in question glowed. It flipped up, revealing itself.

Bonez clearly recognised it. ‘Oh, no!’

‘It’s called Spiritualistic Medium, and it provides my Earl of Demise with an additional 500 attack points with every card destroyed during my turn.’

‘It can’t…!’ Bonez insisted.

‘Oh, it can,’ he said. ‘And, if you remember correctly, I destroyed four of my own cards, giving my monster 2000 more attack points. Go, my spirits!’ Skeleton ghosts covered in torn purple robes emerged from the card and steamed into his Earl. ‘And add your power to the Earl of Demise!’ His monster’s attack point flew up to 4000.

Bonez stepped back. ‘Its grown too powerful!’

‘Yes!’ The Evil Spirit called out the attack. ‘Earl of Demise, destroy his Mammoth!’ The Earl shot forward and slashed the Mammoth apart. It fell apart and shattered.

Bonez groaned. ‘I lose 1800 life points.’ That brought them down to 900.

The Spirit pointed to him. ‘And because of your own trap card, you lose 300 additional life points.’

The effect rippled against the boy and he cried out as he was thrown back. His life points dropped down to 600.

‘The end is near. And, when I win, you and your friends will be trapped here.’

‘What d’ya mean by that?’ Zygor demanded.

The child under her arm looked up at her. ‘They haven’t noticed?’

‘They mistook this dimension for simple fog.’

‘Mother, what’s fog?’

‘Yeah, we didn’t get much of it in Egypt,’ she mused.

Their attention was called back to the duel when the Evil Spirit began explaining it. ‘Ha! Just look around you, you fools. We’ve been duelling in the Shadow Realm.’

The three of them looked around with varying sounds of alarm. They finally saw what was around them – what their world had never prepared them for. Even now there were mounds moving towards them. Those mounds were lost human souls, seeking sustenance from the venerable souls, desperate to preserve themselves even if just a little longer. They’d been torn down in much the same way, but their sense of consciousness was gone. They only knew the need to survive.

‘I transported us here when I first arrived,’ the Evil Spirit said. ‘What do you think?’

The three of them made the same demand at the same time. ‘What are those things?’

‘Those are lost souls, trapped forever in the darkness,’ the Spirit said.

All three boys whimpered.

‘And, soon, you will join them. Your souls doomed to wander in the darkness of the Shadow Realm.’

‘No!’ Sid hollered. ‘See you later, lads!’ He turned and took off.

‘Sid!’ the big guy called as he ran right past them.

Her son looked up at her. ‘I thought you couldn’t run away in the Shadow Realm.’

She nodded her head as Sid came running from the other direction. ‘You can’t.’ He saw them and tripped, falling flat on his butt. ‘How did I end up back here?’

‘Let that be a lesson,’ the Spirit said, bringing their horrified gazes back to his face. ‘You cannot run from the Shadow Realm. Only by defeating me in this duel can you hope to escape its clutches.’

At that statement, Sid jumped to his feet and grabbed his shorter friend. ‘Bonez, whatever you do _don’t you bloody lose_!’

‘Or we’ll end up like these guys!’ Zygor insisted.

Bonez drew with a shaky hand. ‘O-kay, let me see here.’ He looked at the card, hand still shaking. ‘Hey! Not bad.’ He set the card he’d just drawn. ‘I play the magic card Nightmare Steel Cage!’ The cage took form around the Evil Spirit and his monster. ‘You’ll be trapped in my cage for two whole turns, preventing you from attacking until you’re free.’ He laid another card. ‘But, just in case, I’ll play this magic card, face-down.’ The card appeared in front of him.

‘You got him good,’ Zygor said. ‘Now you have two turns to wipe out his life points.’

‘Duh.’ Bonez obviously had no patience for his friend. ‘Think I don’t know that?’

‘I draw one card.’ The Evil Spirit did exactly that. He made a disenchanted sound.

Sid decided it was a good idea to mock him. ‘Aw! Disappointed cause you can’t move?’

The Spirit smirked. ‘On the contrary, I’m disappointed because this duel has to end and I wanted to prolong your misery.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Bonez demanded. ‘As long as you’re trapped in my Nightmare Steel Cage, none of your monsters can carry out an attack for two full turns.’

‘That’s only partially true. There is one card that can penetrate your cage.’ He set the card in question. ‘Activate Ectoplasmer!’ The card appeared on the field and flipped up. It glowed as its effect was activated. The Spirit explained it as the card took effect. ‘Ectoplasmer extracts the very soul of my monster and transforms it into an energy so powerful, it can penetrate your cage and destroy the rest of your life points.’

‘That’s terrible,’ the woman murmured.

Bonez drew back with a strangled whimper. ‘No way!’

‘Yes!’ The Evil Spirit called out the attack. ‘Now, go, Ectoplasmer…’ The soul of the Earl of Demise took on a form of white pure energy. It shot out and through the bars of the Nightmare Steel Cage. ‘…and finish these fools off now!’ It sailed across the field and smacked into the three screaming men.

The woman shielded her own eyes with one hand, and her child’s with the other. When the light from the attack faded, Bonez had lost the duel. The boys had fallen onto their butts. The Evil Spirit stood over the three of them. It was all over. Those three would never see their own world again, and soon their souls would be consumed.

‘Stop your whimpering,’ the Evil Spirit said. ‘Nothing can save you now. It’s over.’

They all gasped.

‘You duelled me and lost.’ The Spirit stated the facts. ‘And now you must all wander the Shadow Realm until I chose to set you free.’

All three of them looked down and cried out in alarm. The wandering spirits had gotten to them. They all jumped to their feet and their backs slammed into each other, a futile effort to get away. The lost souls lifted up and covered them all anyhow as the Evil Spirit laughed.

Soon, all that was left of those three was a black puddle of soul energy…and Bonez’s duel disk. The Evil Spirit walked over and picked the device up. He pulled five cards from it. These ones were different from they others though. They were see-through except for one tiny space on each.

The woman narrowed her eyes. _I wonder…_

***

Sharee was sitting on the very back of Mai’s convertible sports car. Tristan and Duke sat on the back doors on either side of her. Her legs were tucked behind Téa’s back. She was sitting in the middle of the back seat. Yugi sat on one side of her while Joey dozed in his seat on the other. Serenity sat in the front passenger seat as Mai drove them to the Battle City Finals.

Sharee’s attention was drawn as her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her back pocket and looked at the text message she’d received. She pressed her lips together at what her father needed her to know. That would pose a problem later. She tucked her phone away and noticed Mai’s eyes glancing at her in the rear vision mirror.

‘Who was that?’ she asked.

‘Just dad.’ She’d have to tell Yugi later.

‘Anything wrong?’ Duke asked.

‘No.’


	31. Lights, Camera, Duel!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to the finals is interrupted.

‘The directions we got from Joey’s duel disk say KaibaCorp Stadium’s about two blocks from here,’ Yugi said as Mai parked. Sharee was the first to hop out. The others quickly followed suit.

‘Then why are we parking all the way back here in nowheresville, Mai?’ Joey asked.

‘So, when the Finals are over, we don’t get stuck in traffic,’ she said.

Joey pumped his fist. ‘Oh, yeah! Good thinking.’

‘You’ll learn to think like that when you start driving,’ Sharee told him. ‘Shall we get a move on?’

‘Yeah.’ Joey nodded. ‘Let’s get over there and see who else made it to the Finals.’ They began walking and it wasn’t long before Joey struck up a conversation with the group’s other blonde. ‘So, Mai, looks like you’re getting another shot at a Tournament Championship after not quite making the cut last time.’

‘That’s right!’ She was all gung-ho. ‘And this time I plan to crush you and Yugi in front of a sold-out crowd.’

‘In your dreams,’ Joey said.

Sharee laughed. ‘That’s the spirit.’

Joey chuckled before he looked back at Mai. ‘By the way…’

‘Hm?’

‘There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. Why’d you save my hide in the Duellist Kingdom Finals?’

Sharee glanced back at both of them, if only for a moment.

‘I would’ve been kicked right out,’ Joey stated.

‘You looked totally pathetic,’ Mai said. ‘And I guess I…’ She hesitated. ‘I was touched by your story and I wanted to help, okay?’ The last bit was said fast.

‘Hold it!’ Sharee suddenly called.

They all stopped. Mai shot back, because Joey had decided to stop and stare at a billboard for some movie coming out.

‘Whoa! Check it out!’ He was oblivious.

‘Will you pay attention?’ Mai demanded angrily.

‘Yeah, yeah.’ He still wasn’t. ‘But, look, it’s Jean-Claude Magnum’s latest ninja flick. That guy rocks. I gotta see this one.’

‘I don’t know why I even bother trying to talk to you!’ Mai snapped as he ranted on.

Sharee walked over, looking at the billboard. ‘Joey, you realise he’s not actually a ninja, right?’

‘What are you talking about?’ Joey asked.

‘It’s an act.’ Sharee jerked her thumb at the billboard. ‘Hence the term actor. For God’s sake, he doesn’t even do his own stunts.’

Suddenly a car crashed through the billboard right behind Sharee and Mai. Both girls jumped forward. Sharee ended up next to Joey, but Mai had sailed right into his arms. It seemed she had yet to realise this though. She glared back over her shoulder at the black limousine that’d nearly hit them.

‘You gotta be kidding – driving like that!’ Joey insisted. ‘Who does he think he is?’ Only then did Joey and Mai realise how close they were. They quickly sprung apart. Joey ran forward. ‘Look, pal…’ He was interrupted by the door opening and someone stepping out. ‘Jean-Claude Magnum!

Sharee grabbed Joey’s shoulder and pulled him back before he did something stupid. She groaned as she did so. ‘Oh, goody.’ She injected as much sarcasm into her tone as she could. ‘A movie star.’

‘You don’t like movie stars?’ Téa called.

‘The films are fine,’ Sharee said. ‘The guys who make them happen are insufferable.’

Jean-Claude smirked and just strode past her. Sharee turned around and watched first Mai’s confusion and remembrance crossed her expression. That went onto a story. It was a tale that just made Sharee groan and shake her head. _This is why I don’t like movie stars._

‘Let me get this straight,’ she said. ‘You guys met on a boat, you duelled and the action star lost so he proposes to you?’

‘Yes,’ Mai said.

‘Magnum, did you ever consider that it was an alternate way of saying “burn in hell”?’

‘Me?’ Jean-Claude demanded. ‘No one turns down _me_.’ As if to prove it, he pretty much shoved an engagement ring under Mai’s nose. The woman in question nearly jumped out of her skin. He went on unhindered. ‘I’ve come here today to make you the luckiest girl in the entire world: Mrs. Jean-Claude Magnum.’

Sharee slapped her hand to her face. ‘This is why I hate movie stars.’

Mai turned away abruptly. ‘Sorry, Ninja-Boy, I’m not interested.’

Sharee whacked Joey upside the head before he could try to talk her into it. He was still a bit star-struck. She stepped over. ‘Now, let’s be honest, Magnum. Why do you want to marry her?’

‘Why does it matter to you?’ Magnum glared at her.

‘I bet I know.’ Sharee smirked and started counting off on her fingers. ‘One: she’s pretty enough to be your arm-candy. Two: she beat you in a duel and you consider yourself a God so that makes her “worthy”.’ She used finger quotes. ‘Three: you have a really weird compulsion to get married every few years.’

‘Eh?’ Joey asked.

‘Well, haven’t you noticed?’ Sharee asked. ‘Ever since he came onto the big screen, the media has kept a very close look at his movements: marry, divorce, marry, divorce, marry, divorce, marry, divorce. You get the idea.’ She frowned. ‘As I remember though, you said she wouldn’t marry you until you could beat her in a duel.’

‘I can now,’ Jean-Claude said.

‘I’ve yet to see it.’ Sharee stepped back.

‘I can beat you in a duel, Mai,’ Jean-Claude insisted. ‘Let me prove it.’

Mai threw her hand up. ‘Okay, then, let’s settle this with a duel, hotshot.’

Jean-Claude looked eager. ‘And if I win, you’ll come back to Hollywood with me and become my bride.’

‘You don’t stand a chance against me.’

Yugi came over with the others. ‘Mai, wait!’

‘Yeah, you’re already going to the Finals. Don’t duel this guy.’

‘Hate to bring this up,’ Duke said. ‘But Jean-Claude Magnum has some serious kung-fu skills. It wouldn’t be wise to get him mad.’

‘Don’t sweat it, guys,’ Téa told them. ‘Mai’ll win in no time and we’ll still make the Finals.’

Joey agreed. ‘Yeah, you should duel him, Mai.’

Sharee smirked, and looked over at the actor. ‘Do you have a duel disk or do you need to borrow one?’

Jean-Claude smiled smugly. He produced a duel disk and swung it up into the air and slid it onto his arm. The others were all shocked. Sharee wasn’t. She was aware of the fact that money spoke volumes.

‘He’s got a duel disk.’ Joey observed.

‘But duel disks are only supposed to be issued to high-ranked duellists,’ Yugi said.

‘Who says I’m not high-ranked, shorty?’ He pulled five locator cards out of his inner pocket. ‘The fact is I’ve won five locator cards.’

Serenity moved over to Joey and Mai. ‘Does that mean that if Mai loses this duel, she’ll lose her locator card and her spot in the Finals?’

‘Why, that’s exactly right,’ Jean-Claude said. ‘I’ll take her place in the Finals, not to mention her hand in marriage.’

‘You don’t have to accept this guy’s challenge,’ Yugi quickly told Mai. ‘It’s not worth risking the Finals for.’

‘Yugi’s right, Mai,’ Joey said.

Mai looked back at Jean-Claude. ‘No way. I wanna show Mr. Hollywood-Ninja-Boy that I’m not just some prize to be won.’

Sharee nodded. ‘Yeah, he’s totally living in the wrong century.’

***

‘And prepare to lose this duel!’ Jean-Claude had brought spotlights. He had them laid out around the field and switched on as soon as the duel started. He raised his hand. ‘But win a husband who’s a star!’

‘I can’t believe Mai is risking her spot in the Finals just to show up Jean-Claude Magnum,’ Yugi said.

‘Remember, doll-face,’ Magnum said. ‘When I win, you marry me.’

‘I can’t believe he spent this whole time duelling in a tux,’ Sharee said.

‘Now let’s duel!’ Magnum drew. He looked at the card. ‘Excellent.’ He put that in his hand and pulled another from between his fingers. ‘I play Ninja Commander Acousa in attack mode.’ The card appeared in front of him and the monster emerged with a puff of smoke. It made a grunt, but only had 700 attack and defence points. ‘He kinda looks like me but my physique is better.’ The Ninja split, creating a second monster. ‘Now feast your eyes on my Ninja Commander’s special ability.’

‘There’s two!’ Duke observed.

‘You know, it’s probably just some Hollywood special effect,’ Tristan said.

Magnum chuckled. ‘It’s called Multiplicity, kid, and as long as I keep my Ninja Commander in attack mode I can summon Ninja Soldier Katana to the playing field.’

‘Don’t sound so confident, you B-movie hack,’ Mai told him. ‘Your monsters are just like your movies: second-rate and not around for very long.’

He looked a bit wounded. ‘Touché.’

‘Bad reviews aren’t always easy to hear. And now…’ Mai drew. She looked at her card. ‘…let’s see how your Ninjas like this.’ She played the card and it appeared in front of her, the monster emerging. ‘My Amazon Swordwoman!’ Her Swordwoman had 1500 attack points. ‘Slice and dice his Ninja Soldier with your Amazon Slash Attack!’ The female monster slashed twice.

The Ninja Soldier was cut down and shattered. Magnum’s life points dropped to 2900.

‘This guy’s not like he is in the movies,’ Duke said.

‘Of course not.’ Sharee chuckled. ‘With movies you got blue screens, wires, stuntmen. It’s all put on. Actually…’ She sounded thoughtful. ‘I’d be very surprised if this guy did _any_ of his own stunts.’

That comment caused Magnum to grimace. _Yup. Probably doesn’t._

***

Joey was obviously disappointed. ‘Jean-Claude duels like an amateur, and not only that. He’s much shorter than he looks on-screen.’

‘I see that you haven’t changed your aggressive style of duelling, my little sweet pea.’ The actor drew. ‘You’re still as charming as ever.’ He set his card. ‘I play another Ninja Commander in attack mode.’ A copy of the same card again appeared on the field and the monster emerged from the card in much the same way as the last. It also duplicated itself into a second Ninja. ‘And just like before I’ll use its special ability to summon another Ninja Soldier to the field.’

_You are kidding, right?_

‘Your duelling’s just one bad sequel after another.’ Mai seemed to be in complete agreement with her.

‘That attitude only makes more love you even more,’ he said.

Mai groaned.

_Love? Don’t be ridiculous. She’s unattainable. That’s the only reason he wants her now. See, this is why most celebrity marriages don’t last._

_**Yeah.**_ Shamee was watching, an amused quirk to her lips. _**Wanna see love, laddie boy, look to our right.**_

That got Sharee’s attention. _Huh? What?_

On her right, Serenity spoke to her brother. ‘I think that Mai’s really cool, don’t you, Joey? She’s so tough. I’d love to be like that.’

‘You serious?’ Joey asked.

‘Yeah. She doesn’t let anyone push her around.’

‘I guess, if you think it’s really cool to have a really loud mouth, a mean disposition and to walk around acting like you’re the greatest thing since cheese-fries, sure. I guess you could say Mai’s cool.’

_**Someone’s trying to play it cool.** _

Mai growled at Joey’s comments.

Joey finished his comments. ‘I wouldn’t know.’

‘Sugar plum!’ Magnum called her attention. ‘Were you daydreaming about our wedding?’

‘I’d rather eat worms, Romeo.’ Mai drew. She called the attack. ‘Now, Amazon Swordwoman, attack his Ninja Commander!’ The monster flew forward and slashed one of the Commanders, destroying it.

Magnum didn’t look too worried as his life points dropped down to 2100. ‘I’m afraid that you’ve walked right into the trap I set, darling.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Mai asked.

‘Your mistake.’ Magnum drew. ‘Now that you’ve sent my Ninja Commander and my Ninja Soldier to the graveyard, all I have to do is sacrifice one more Ninja and you’re in trouble!’ He did just that and the Ninja Soldier vanished. ‘Ninja Soldier, ba-bye! Your job’s done.’ He pulled a card from his hand. ‘It’s time to bring out the real star.’ The card appeared on the field and flipped up. ‘I summon Ninja Master Shogun!’

The monster that appeared on the field was humanoid with long white hair. Its armour was primarily red. It had two flags strapped to its back. It also wore a mask. Its attack power stood at 1600.

Mai looked unimpressed. ‘What a surprise! More ninjas. Ever think about trying a different role?’

‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’ Magnum set another card on the duel disk. ‘When my Ninja Master’s in attack mode, he can summon two more Ninjas, so meet Ninja Commander Kabuki and another Soldier!’

Instead of appearing like normal monsters, these two ninjas appeared running along the side of the building next to them. They jumped from the building and landed on either side of the Ninja Master. ‘And, in another plot twist, my Kabuki Ninja can also summon a monster to the field.’ Just that happened. The stronger of his two minor Ninjas glowed brightly as he added to their attack force. ‘So heeere’s Kunoichi Ayame the Ninja Girl!’ The monster appeared on the field. It only had 300 attack points. ‘That’s four ninjas for the price of one.’

‘Joey, does this mean Mai’s in trouble?’ Serenity asked her brother.

‘Nah, it’ll take more than a bunch of second-rate Ninjas to stop a duellist like Mai,’ Joey said with conviction. ‘Trust me, I know first-hand how good she is.’

That seemed to be enough for Mai.

Shamee chuckled. _**And, sometimes, that will be all it takes.**_

Something clicked in Sharee’s mind.

Magnum gave the order. ‘Ninja Master, attack her Amazon Swordswoman with your merciless flame attack!’

The Master Ninja charged with a grunt and spat out a stream of fire. It sailed across the field and slammed into the Amazon Swordswoman. The monster screamed as it was destroyed. Mai cried out in alarm. But it seemed Magnum wasn’t finished with his attack quite yet.

‘And now, my four Ninjas, attack my future wife’s life points directly!’ All four Ninjas shot upwards, bounding against the buildings on either side of them and sending star darts at Mai. They all watched as she flinched back upon impact and her life points dropped down to 1800.

‘That’s rough,’ said Joey.

Magnum went on again. ‘Sorry, my little ginger-snap, but that’s the price you pay for love, but hey, when I defeat you at least you’ll have a husband who’s a Battle City Finalist. You can brag about me, right?’

‘Really?’ Mai wasn’t buying into it. ‘You’re so sensitive, Jean.’

_**And…here he goes.** _

Joey growled. ‘Stop flirting, Mai! There’s too much on the line over here.’

‘If this keeps up, she’ll have to marry this creep and forfeit her place in the Battle City Finals!’ Téa insisted.

When Sharee saw the expression on Joey’s face, it struck her. _Wait…are you telling me…?_

_**That took you a while.** _

Magnum made his next move. ‘I’ll place one card face-down and ready my Ninja army for a final attack.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘It’s true what they say, Mai. Sometimes you have to…destroy the ones you love. Your life points are wide open for my attack, my dear.’

‘Not for long.’ Mai drew and played the card. ‘Show your claws, my Cyber Harpy!’ The card appeared on the field and her Cyber Harpy Lady emerged, attack power 1800. ‘I hate to leave you at the altar, but I’m not losing this duel.’ She called the attack. ‘Cyber Harpy, scratch out his Ninja Master!’

The Harpy attacked.

‘You set off my trap!’ Magnum’s monster moved, defending itself. ‘Unleash Ninja Smoke Bomb!’ The black orb sailed across, meeting Harpy half-way and exploding in her face, shrouding her in smoke. The attack was stopped dead. The smoke covered the playing field and Mai coughed. Magnum pointed at her. ‘I’m afraid your attack has just been blocked, which means your lady bird’s gotta take her claws off of my Ninja!’

‘Mai!’ Tristan called. ‘Crush this wannabe!’

Mai took a card from her hand and set it. ‘I’ll finish with one card face-down and it’s back to you.’ The card appeared in front of her.

‘No hard feelings?’ Magnum drew. ‘All right! It looks like we’ll be walking down the isle together sooner than I’d expected.’

Mai glared at him. ‘You’ll be limping down the isle alone when I’m done with you.’

‘Are you bitter because Hollywood’s hottest celebrity’s about to take your place in the Battle City Finals.’ Magnum set the card he’d pulled. It appeared on the field. ‘Observe my magic card.’ The card in question spun up into the air. ‘Go, Great Kite of Ninjor!’ There was a bright glow as the Kite took form. With a roar, the Ninja Master leapt into the air and attached itself to the Kite. ‘Hovering overheard, my Ninja Master is protected from all of your monster’s attacks and magic cards.’

Mai stared up. ‘Oh, no…!’

‘My Kite also allows my Ninja to bypass any of your monsters and attack your life points directly as long as I sacrifice one of my own monsters first.’

Mai growled.

‘So now I’ll sacrifice my Ninja Soldier…’ The monster vanished. ‘And attack your life points with my Ninja Master’s Thunder Attack!’ The lightning shot down, encompassing the entire Kite with a golden glow, then it shot at Mai in a single beam of electricity.

She cried out as she was hit and her life points dropped to 200.

Magnum had a smug smile on his face. ‘Attaboy. We’re almost done. Now we can start planning our honeymoon on Wykiki Beach.’

‘I wouldn’t pick your best man just yet,’ Mai snapped.

Serenity spoke to Joey again. ‘Mai’s gonna get bumped from the Finals and then she’ll have to marry this jerk.’

‘No!’ Joey insisted. ‘We can’t let that happen.’ He looked over at the shortest member of the group. ‘Hey, Yug. Can Mai turn this around?’

‘Mm-hm.’ Yugi nodded. ‘If she plays Harpy’s Feather Duster, it would cancel out all active magic cards on the playing field.’

‘Yeah,’ Sharee said. ‘Don’t waste your breath though. She’d have already thought of it. Since she hasn’t already used it, I’d say she’s gotta draw for it.’ She saw Mai glance at her deck.

‘Come on, Mai!’ Joey called. ‘You can get it! Otherwise, we’ll all be lining up for your Hollywood Wedding!’

Mai stumbled and made an agitated noise. She looked down at her deck and muttered something. ‘No way!’ She drew and looked at the card. ‘Now, there’s a magic card that’ll help.’

Magnum opened his big mouth again. ‘Let’s just get this over with, shall we? Time is money, and the Finals await.’

Joey turned to Yugi for the second time. ‘Yug, we need a plan before that flying Ninja attacks again.’

Yugi had only one bit of advice. ‘Mai should focus on destroying the Ninjas on the ground first.’ He looked over at Joey. ‘Remember, he has to sacrifice them to attack her life points. But if she wipes them out first, she’ll be safe.’

‘Yeah, you’re right!’ Joey went to call out to Mai again.

Sharee lifted her hand and clamped it over his mouth. ‘She’d have already worked it out.’

‘She’s gotta get rid of those other three Ninjas now,’ Tristan insisted.

‘One more direct attack and her life points are history,’ Duke said.

Téa added her two cents in. ‘Then it’s “goodbye Battle City Finals”…’

‘And “hello, Mrs. Magnum”.’ Duke finished off.

Joey ground his teeth at that. ‘We’re all behind you, Mai!’

She turned her head, annoyed. ‘I get the point.’

‘Then duel like the Mai I know,’ Joey said.

‘Huh?’ She looked taken aback. Turning back around, she turned back to her duel and glared across at Magnum. ‘Watch out, Jean. I’m back.’ She set her card. ‘I play a magic card.’ The card appeared on the field and flipped up. ‘Elegant Egotist!’ The effects washed over the Cyber Harpy and she split into three separate Harpies. ‘It turns one Harpy into three!’ They all charged. ‘Take out his Ninjas!’

All three Ninja’s jumped up, a futile attempt to get away. The only thing was that the Harpies had wings. They could fly, and fly they did. The lot of their friends cheered. Sharee smiled. Mai turned around and gave Joey a thumb’s up. His response was to blush and stumble a bit making an odd noise.

‘Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh.’ Sharee had a good chuckle at his expense.

Magnum brought attention back to the duel with a growl. ‘You’re starting to bug me, kid!’

They looked over at him in confusion.

‘You talking to me?’ Joey asked. ‘Ninja-Nerd!’

‘Why don’t you leave this duel to the grown-ups, you little twerp?’ he demanded.

Joey clenched his fist and leaned forward. ‘Don’t push me, Claude, or I’ll…!’ He was cut off when Sharee gently grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

‘Chill, Joey,’ she said. ‘He’s just a simple narcissist with a superiority complex.’ _And he’s possibly a tiny bit jealous._

‘A nar-sa-what-ist?’ Joey asked.

‘Nar-cis-sist.’ Sharee enunciated it. ‘It’s basically someone who’s so head-over-heels in love with _themselves_ that they think they’re God’s gift to the world.’

Magnum chuckled. ‘Well, she’s literate, which is more than I can say for her blond friend.’

_Yup. Definitely jealous._ Sharee smirked. ‘I’d think a man of your age would be too old for schoolyard bullying. Why don’t you just finish the duel?’

‘Schoolyard bullying!’ Magnum scoffed bitterly. ‘The nerve of that girl!’

Mai cleared her throat. ‘If you’re quite done with your pouting, I’m placing one card face-down.’ She set the card and it appeared in front of her.

‘It’s about time.’ Magnum drew. ‘That’s right!’ He played the card and it appeared on the field in front of him. It was a repeat of a previous monster, and it quickly emerged from the card. ‘You remember my Ninja Girl, don’t you?’ He barked out a laugh. ‘Once I sacrifice her, my Ninja Master will finish you off for good!’

‘Oh, no,’ Joey said.

‘Oh, yes!’ Magnum was already crowing in victory.

Mai wasn’t having any of that though. ‘Sorry, but I’m about to cut your Ninja Girl from the scene with my Grave-Arm magic card.’ The card flipped up and it began to take effect. The fog formed around the Ninja Girl’s feet. ‘It sends her directly to the Card Graveyard!’ The hand of the Grave-Arm rose up and wrapped securely around the Ninja Girl, pulling her down.  
Magnum’s sacrifice was lost. ‘No way!’

‘You’ve got no monsters to sacrifice,’ Mai said. ‘But, wait, there’s more.’ She drew. ‘You forgot one very important thing.’ She looked up. ‘That Kite up there may protect your Ninja Master from being attacked, but it also takes your monster out of all the action, including defending your life points.’ She smirked. ‘Which means that you’re wide open for a direct attack, so you can cancel those wedding plans because I’ll be busy – at the Battle City Finals!’

Magnum made a loud sound of shock as he realised she was right.

Mai gave the order. ‘Now, Cyber Harpies, finish off this washed-up has-been!’ The three monsters moved into action. ‘Attack his life points directly with your Triple Scratch Attack!’  
The Harpies came together and spun around so fact they looked like a whirlwind with claw. They covered Magnum, even as he cried out in protest. When they cleared, they left a bright flash as Magnum’s life points dropped down to 0.

‘Show’s over,’ Joey said.

Magnum fell to his knees.

The smile on Mai’s face was both victorious and relieves. ‘I give you two thumbs down, movie-boy. I hope you’ve learned I’m not a prize to be won.’

As Magnum stood up with a smirk on his face, chuckling, Sharee became suspicious. On reflex, her eyes darted around. She immediately spotted it. ‘Why is that still there?’ she murmured. No one else seemed to hear her.

‘I think I’m missing the joke,’ Joey said.

‘Not you, Joey.’ Tristan told him. ‘He’s lost it.’

Magnum managed to stop laughing. ‘Oh, there’s a joke, all right, and if you missed it that’s probably because the joke’s on _you_!’

‘Please stop reciting your lines,’ Mai said. ‘The duel’s over. Get outta my life now!’ She noticed it. ‘Huh? Your monster’s still there?’

Everyone else looked up now too.

‘But the duel’s over!’ Duke insisted.

Téa agreed with him. ‘All the duelling holograms should’ve disappeared.’

Yugi was the first to realise it. ‘Hey, guys, I don’t think that’s a hologram!’

The “kite” was begin propelled down by a jet system that was strapped to the back of it. The “monster” on the front cackled as it descended. Sharee ground her teeth. _I see I left “man-child” out of the description._

‘That flying Ninja’s closing in!’ Joey insisted.

Magnum raised his arm. ‘Welcome to the world of Hollywood Special Effects – where anything can happen!’ The Ninja suddenly threw down a net. Mai stepped back, but she didn’t move far or fast enough. She cried out in alarm. The whole lot of their friends cried out to her.

‘Let me out, you sore loser!’ Mai yelled at Magnum as she was lifted off and carried away.

‘Mai!’ Joey yelled.

‘If I can’t win your heart, Mai, then I’m just gonna have to steal it!’ Magnum took off.

‘You won’t get away with this!’ Joey took off after him.

‘Come back, Joey!’ Serenity called.

He ignored her. So did Sharee, taking off after him. Running like that, only she could keep up with him. Everyone else fell behind. Magnum immediately got in his limo and took off. Joey growled, but Sharee grabbed his arm and dragged him after Mai’s heart signature. They ducked through alleyways and jumped over any obstacles that got in their way.

‘That creep!’ Joey snarled. ‘That dirty creep!’

‘He’s a born and bred movie star, Joey,’ Sharee said. ‘He’s used to getting what he wants regardless of who says “no”. And when we catch him, I’ll see how much of a ninja he really is!’  
They ran out onto the street, where the Ninja was descending with their blonde friend.

‘Hang on, Mai!’ Joey called.

Mai turned her head. As soon as she saw them, she started struggling harder. ‘Put me down now, you Ninja-freak!’ The entire thing shook erratically.

‘Mai, be careful!’ Joey called out.

The Ninja dropped her. Sharee sucked in a breath as Mai fell, not quite screaming on the way down.

‘Mai!’ Joey called.

Mai’s descent was stopped when she caught herself on a flagpole. It was one of several coming out of the walls of the building they were right next to. She was lucky that’d been there, but she wouldn’t be able to hold on for long. Her expression was strained showing the effort she was using to hold onto it.

‘Hang on!’ Joey ran over. ‘I’m coming!’

Sharee stopped and leaned against the hood of Magnum’s limo. The “action hero” grabbed his head like a lost child. ‘She needs help, but I’ve got no idea what to do!’

Sharee looked at him. _He doesn’t know the first thing about martial arts, does he?_

_**Nope.** _

Joey came to a stop below her. ‘Hey, Mai!’ She looked down. He had his arms held out. ‘Come on! Let go!’

‘Are you nuts?’ Mai demanded. ‘No way!’

‘Do it!’ Joey called. ‘I swear I’ll catch you!’

Sharee wondered if she should tell him. There was a way for Joey to catch Mai falling from that height without ending up as mess of tangled limbs on the sidewalk, and without gaining all those bruises. The idea of it, though, brought a mental image to her mind. Sharee smirked. _Nah, it’s way funnier this way._

Mai stared down apprehensively for a long moment, then she nodded. She let go.

‘That’s it!’ Joey called.

Mai cried out as she fell. She dropped and hit Joey, knocking him over so they both fell to the ground. Sharee was actually disappointed. It wasn’t awkward at all because Joey got knocked out. That was the part which was meant to be funny. Oh, well. She looked over as Magnum headed over. Mai immediately leaned up.

‘Oh, no. Joey, are you all right?’

Magnum stepped over like he had done the deed and offered his hand. ‘Hey. Here, take my hand, Mai. You’re safe now.’

Mai stood up just fine by herself. She batted his hand away. ‘Get lost.’ She was on her feet in the next moment and she stepped forward with a hard glare at the actor. ‘You don’t even do your own stunts, you coward.’

‘So, does this mean our wedding plans are off, dear?’ he asked.

Mai poked him in the chest. ‘You’re nothing but a cheap Hollywood phoney, Jean-Claude.’ She stepped back and looked down at Joey. ‘The only real action hero around here is right there, resting.’

Magnum drew back. He collapsed to his knees again. ‘I’m a fraud! It’s the truth!’

‘Good.’ Sharee walked over and yanked him up by the ear. ‘Now we don’t wanna see hide nor hair of you ever again.’

***

Yugi ran with the others. They’d finally caught up with Sharee, Joey and Mai. It was good to see Mai was okay and that Jean-Claude Magnum was out of sight. Although, Joey did need support to stand upright. Sharee seemed to be just standing back and letting the other woman do all the work though.

Mai didn’t seem to mind.

‘Hey!’ Serenity waved as they ran over to them. ‘Joey! Mai! Sharee!’

Mai looked down at Joey. ‘You’re the best, Joey.’

Joey sounded half-with it. ‘But you could’ve married a movie star.’

Mai didn’t sound too impressed with that. ‘Ha! If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to kick your butt in the Finals, would I?’

And Joey wasn’t impressed with that one. He gave her a side-long look. ‘Plus, if you ever did get married, you’d drive your husband crazy.’

Mai’s response to that was to drop him on the ground, hard.

‘Are you gonna be all right, Joey?’ Serenity asked.

Joey pulled himself up to his feet. He rubbed his tush. ‘Of course. I never been better.’

Sharee chuckled. ‘You had that one coming.’

He shrugged. ‘Guess so.’ He turned. ‘Now let’s get inside that Stadium and do what we all came here to do.’

Yugi, along with everyone else, looked at the Stadium too. ‘Yeah! The Battle City Finals start tonight!’

‘May the best man win,’ Joey said.

Mai smirked. ‘You mean _woman_.’


	32. Let the Finals Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaiba kicks off the Finals of his Tournament.

Kaiba stood in the Stadium with Mokuba, waiting for the Finalists. He had no doubt that Yugi and the Dork Patrol would be the first ones to arrive. _My competition, if you can call them that, will be arriving soon – along with the two remaining Egyptian God Cards._ That was the important bit. ‘Hm?’ Suddenly, he thought he heard something. Suspicious, Kaiba turned his head. ‘Go turn on the lights.’

‘Lights?’ one of his men asked.

‘Illuminate the Stadium right now!’ Kaiba ordered.

The man jumped. ‘Uh, right!’ He pulled his walkie-talkie out and gave the order. ‘Uh, turn the lights on.’ The bright lights of the Stadium flashed on, one by one.

‘What is it, Seto?’ Mokuba asked.

‘I thought I heard something.’ He looked around. ‘No one should enter the Stadium without first reporting to me.’

‘Not to worry, Mr. Kaiba,’ his head security guard said. ‘We’ll locate any and all trespassers.’

He looked towards the entrance of the Stadium. ‘Some one else is arriving.’ And he’d bet it was Yugi’s gang-bang. He was right.

Mokuba stepped forward. ‘Hey, look. The first three finalists: Joey, Yugi and Mai.’

***

Sharee entered the Stadium behind Yugi. She looked around. It seemed to be more like of a football pitch than a duelling arena. _And Kaiba never does things half-ass. There’ll be something else._ She looked around as the group came inside. Shamee could feel it. Marik was already here.

‘This is it?’ Yugi asked.

‘This place is still under construction,’ Duke observed.

Mai didn’t seem all that happy. ‘We’re unfashionably early.’

‘Welcome.’ One of Kaiba’s men spoke up as they stopped. ‘Present your locator cards.’ The guy next to him reached into his inner pocket.

‘Check it out.’ Joey decided to talk as the three of them did so. ‘We all got six.’

The other guy had pulled out what looked suspiciously like key cards. ‘Then here are your Tournament IDs. Congratulations. You three are now officially Battle City Finalists.’

‘We already knew that.’ Mai had no patience for being told the obvious.

‘Now security is tight, so make sure you have these cards with you at all times.’ He handed them over to Joey, Mai and Yugi.

‘Thanks.’ Joey took his card. ‘Now where’s everyone else?’

‘So far it’s just the three of you and, of course, Mr. Kaiba,’ the guy told him. ‘We expect the other four Finalists shortly.’ If not for the sunglasses, Sharee was certain she would’ve seen him glance at those behind the three duellists. She could already see Kaiba’s disdain.

Sharee idly scratched her side.

Mokuba saw her. ‘You okay there, Sharee?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ Sharee shrugged. ‘Bandage just probably needs changing. I’ll do it later.’

‘How did you get that anyway?’ Tristan asked.

Sharee smirked. ‘Well, after Marik attacked my family, I decided to knock him flat on his ass. I did, but he cheated and stabbed me with the sharp end of his Millennium Rod.’

‘What?’ Téa demanded. ‘Why would he do that?’

Sharee just gave her a bland looked, but she didn’t dignify the question with an answer. ‘So I just left him counting stars for a while.’

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Sharee knew, in his opinion, she should’ve done more than that. _Hey, cut me some slack. I was a blood-tap for crying out loud._ She didn’t say it though. Suddenly, Kaiba looked over as the doors opened again and someone else stepped into the Stadium.

‘Guys,’ Yugi said. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’

‘Hey, Yug, you think it’s that evil creep Marik?’ Joey asked.

‘It could be. He must be one of the eight Finalists.’

The person came into the light of the Stadium. Joey turned his head. ‘Huh? Who is that?’

Sharee wasn’t surprised to see it was Marik.

She was more surprised when Joey and Téa ran over to him. ‘Wait a minute,’ Joey said. ‘I know you. You’re Namu.’

_Namu? Huh, nice cover._ Sharee leaned her bodyweight onto one leg and watched. Yugi was standing right next to her so it was a good time. ‘I wonder if I should tell them…’ She muttered it quietly so that only Yugi would hear. He looked up at her. He glanced at “Namu” for a moment, as their friends prattled on to him, and then back at her.

‘You mean that’s Marik?’ he whispered.

‘Yeah,’ she whispered back. ‘Either he’s already forgotten that I know his face or he thinks I won’t tell you.’ She paused. ‘Or he painted himself as such a nice guy so that if I did, no would believe me.’

Yugi looked back at their friends again. ‘Should we tell them?’

Sharee considered it for a moment. ‘No. It would cause too much trouble. There’d be confusion and yelling and them insisting that it’s impossible, that Namu is too nice to be Marik. No, besides, he doesn’t seem like he’s gonna do much more than deceive them quite yet.’

Yugi nodded and moved over when Téa called him. He kept up a good charade of ignorance to Marik’s identity. _I might actually be getting somewhere with him after all._ She felt Shamee’s confusion in her mind but, before the ancient could question her, the doors opened once more.

This time, it was Bakura who came in…sort of. Sharee was hardly surprised. What did surprise her was when she spotted Marik and the Evil Spirit share a glance. _They’re working together._ Sharee looked at Téa as she and the others nearly had conniption fits over it. She ought to be quite open to telling her what happened, and Sharee could pose the question like a mere curiosity. Téa wouldn’t get suspicious – not like Joey would.

Sharee looked at Yugi. He met her gaze. They both knew this was not Bakura. This was the Evil Spirit of the Ring. They would have to tread carefully around two people from now on. Sharee turned her head again as the seventh contestant opened the doors and made his way in.

He strode in, purple cape billowing. Everyone stood back as he entered. Sharee knew this man though. She’d seen him a few times before. Odion. It explained what she’d been wondering earlier. How was Marik going to get away with hiding under that pseudonym? It was quickly confirmed.

Téa gasped.

‘That’s the guy!’ Joey insisted.

‘He’s the one who kidnapped me!’ Mokuba told Kaiba.

Odion stopped and looked down at Yugi, almost contemptuously. He took a few steps forward.

Kaiba was glaring at him. ‘State your name right now.’

‘I am Marik,’ he said.

Joey ran forward. ‘I’ll kick your brainwashing keister!’

Odion merely turned his eyes towards the blond. ‘You are no match for me, you fool.’

Joey growled. ‘The only reason I’m not tossing you out by the cape right now is so I can save my energy to take you down in the Finals! Got that, pal?’

Sharee huffed. ‘Okay, between now and then could you please try to calm down? It’s bad to duel angry.’

‘I should disqualify you right now,’ Kaiba said, completely ignoring them. ‘For capturing my little brother, Mokuba, but you have something that I want. And before the Finals are over your Egyptian God Card will be mine!’

‘Doesn’t look like you have too many friends around her, Tattoo-Face!’ Mokuba snapped.

Odion scoffed and moved on.

‘I think I scared him, Yug,’ Joey whispered.

It must’ve been time because the security man in charge cleared his throat. ‘All right. Can I have your attention please? Seven out of eight of you are here, so now it’s time to announce that although your locator cards led you here this is not the site of the Battle City Finals.’

‘Huh?’ All of their group was surprised at that.

The second one stepped forward. ‘The actual tournament arena should be arriving here any second now, of course.’

‘I’m lost,’ Joey said.

‘Where are the Finals?’ Yugi asked.

All of the Stadium lights suddenly turned upwards. Everyone lifted their gazes.

‘Look!’ Joey told everyone. ‘Up there! It’s Kaiba’s blimp.’

_It’s kinda hard to miss it._ The others all made various sounds of both surprise and awe. Sharee, for her part, had seen a blimp up close before. They weren’t really that big of a deal: just a massive balloon that you could travel in. She had only one thought in regards to it.

‘Stand back,’ the security guard said. ‘We’ll all be boarding shortly.’

Sharee shook her head. ‘Kaiba, are you capable of doing anything the simple way?’

Kaiba just smirked.

Joey still couldn’t believe it. ‘Oh, man…’

‘So we’re duelling in the sky?’ Yugi asked.

‘You got it,’ Mokuba said. ‘In fact, four thousand feet in the sky to be exact.’

Sharee watched the blimp descend with the others. Unlike most of them, she was prepared for the uproar of wind that came with the landing. She just bowed her head so her eyebrow ridges protected her eyes from the gust.

Once it landed, Joey turned to Kaiba. ‘You got…barf bags on board? Just checking.’

‘Relax,’ Sharee said. ‘You’ll hardly know you’re in the sky.’ She paused. ‘Except when it’s obvious.’

Mokuba raised his hand. ‘All right! Listen up. It’s time to board Kaiba-Craft 3 for the start of the Battle City Finals!’ The blimp came to rest securely on the ground and the ladder leading inside flipped down.

‘We’ll depart as soon as the eighth duellist arrives,’ security man number one said.

_And, if I’m right, she’ll arrive at the last possible moment._

‘Climb aboard and watch your step.’

The first people to enter the blimp were the Finalists. Téa and Tristan never really seemed to grasp the concept that, because they were not duellists, they wouldn’t ordinarily be let into these things. Sharee got it, so she was really the only one not surprised when the security guards stopped them 

The only reason they did get in was because the Kaiba brothers let them on board.

***

She arrived a moment after Kaiba disappeared into the blimp. She had covered her face for two reasons. One: she didn’t want to be recognised immediately. Two: it was something she was brought up with. When a woman had to go out at night, she always covered her face. She stopped in front of the security guard.

‘I believe you gentlemen are waiting for me.’ Knowing their next request, she held up her locator cards. ‘My locator cards.’

‘Welcome,’ the security guard said. He handed her an ID card. ‘Follow us.’ They led her into the blimp.

***

Yugi stood on the deck of the blimp with his friends.

‘This is awesome!’ Téa insisted. ‘I’ve never seen the city from this high up!’

‘The lights are so beautiful.’ Serenity looked at her brother. ‘Thanks for bringing me, Joey.’

Joey planted his hands on his hips and lifted his nose in the air. ‘Just one of the many perks of being related to a Champion.’ He started laughing.

Kaiba stopped behind him. ‘You call yourself a champion, Wheeler? You’re here by a fluke.’

Joey turned around and growled. ‘Keep walking, Kaiba.’

He closed his eyes, smug smile firmly in place. ‘Enjoy this while you can. And, listen, I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high, because it’s a long way down from up here.’

Yugi turned around, a bit annoyed on Joey’s behalf. He noticed that Sharee barely gave the whole exchange a backward glance.

‘Oh, and, uh, the last time I checked, monkeys can’t fly.’ He moved on, but he didn’t go very far. Joey’s face twisted up. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Kaiba stopped as he passed Yugi. He looked down at him. ‘Yugi, I have some words of advice for you too. I’m aware that you haven’t played your Egyptian God Card since you won it, but it’s time for that to end right here and now. So it had better be in your deck during the Finals because I intend to win it.’

Yugi felt the Pharaoh’s presence in the back of his mind.

‘This is my tournament, Yugi.’ He turned and leaned over a bit to get his point across. ‘Got it? And then, when the Battle City Finals are all over, I’ll be the world’s greatest duellist and the owner of all three Egyptian God Cards, making my deck unbeatable. So it’s time to say your goodbyes to Slifer the Sky Dragon.’

_**Hmph.** _

‘And to any hopes you had of winning. Listen to me closely: Duellist Kingdom is far away, and as long as you’re up here with me you’re playing my game, my rules.’ He walked away. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a tournament to run.’

Joey had to make a remark. ‘Man, this balloon is full of hot air!’

Sharee, for once, agreed with him. ‘Someone definitely needs a nap.’

***

Joey stepped in his cabin with his sister, sliding his ID card through the access panel. ‘Here we are.’ He walked in.

His sister practically ran, gasping in amazement. ‘Check out our deluxe pad!’ she ran to the window and looked out to the city below. Joey walked over and stood just behind her. ‘Wow! What a great view! Wow, it’s so awesome. Thank you.’ She turned around. ‘If it hadn’t been for you, Joey, I wouldn’t be able to see all this. You know that.’

‘But you can!’ Joey told her. ‘And that’s what matters.’

‘I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be right now. It’s…’ She looked back out the window. ‘…kinda like a dream, Joey. Up here in the sky, looking down on all of the buildings. I’ll never forget this sight. Never.’ She closed her eyes serenely.

‘Hm.’ Joey did too, but only for a moment. He walked over to her side. ‘Thanks, sis.’ He laid a hand on her shoulder.

She turned her head and looked at him. ‘For what?’ They turned to face each other. ‘I’m the one who should be thanking you for all this. You’re the greatest brother, and my best friend.’

Joey felt the tears and quickly reached up to get rid of them. ‘My allergies are acting up! But I couldn’t have gotten here without your help, sis. We’re a good team.’

‘Yes, we are,’ Serenity said. Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Big bro.’

Joey nodded. He turned his mind to the Finals and set his teeth. And I’m gonna win this thing with your support, Serenity. He clenched his fist. _No way am I gonna let Kaiba or anyone else discourage me. I gotta stay focused and not let anything distract me from…_

His thoughts were interrupted when Téa, Tristan and Duke walked in. It seemed they’d decided to crash in his room. they immediately took full advantage of the comforts of the place too. It was a small relief that Sharee hadn’t decided to join them.

Small, because Duke decided he was also going to flirt with Serenity.

It was really all Joey could do to sit down, suck it up and have the soda Tristan gave him as he apologised. He groaned in irritation. ‘You wouldn’t have to be sorry if you didn’t come in the first place. Go bother Yugi.’

‘Nah, Sharee’s doing that.’ And she wouldn’t be really bothering him. Tristan knew it too. ‘See, we wanted to make sure he had some peace and quiet before the Finals. Joey.’ He took a drink.

Joey looked at him in irritation. ‘I’m duelling too, ya know.’

Tristan looked down at him. ‘Oh, that’s right.’

Joey growled. ‘You punk. And, by the way, thank you.’

When Tristan looked at him this time, it was in surprise.

‘For taking care of my sister.’ Joey explained the gratitude.

Tristan nearly jumped out of his skin and blushed. ‘Just helping out a buddy.’ He took another drink of soda.

‘Well, it means a lot.’

‘Anytime. I mean it.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’

***

Kaiba stood in his quarters, looking down at the city. He was smiling to himself. _It’s almost time._ He moved over and sat in the closest chair. Picking up his deck, he sorted through his cards. ‘Hm.’ _The moment I’ve been waiting for is about to arrive._ He pulled his God Card from the deck and looked at it.

Obelisk the Tormentor.

_With this one card – Obelisk the Tormentor! – I can will destroy both Yugi and Marik, and gain their Egyptian God Cards. Once I wield all three, I’ll be unbeatable._ With that intoxicating thought, Kaiba threw his head back and laughed.

***

Mai sat in her room with a glass of wine. ‘I may have missed out on winning the Duellist Kingdom Finals, but this time I know that I’ll be victorious.’

She set down her glass and started preparing her deck.

***

Sharee had just left.

Yugi sighed. ‘If I honestly expect to stop Marik from getting what he wants, I have to do what Kaiba said and put Slifer the Sky Dragon in my deck.’ He was looking at the card in question. ‘But it’s a really powerful card and using it could be very dangerous, so I’m going to have to be careful.’ All the same, he slid it into his deck. He picked up the whole stack of cards. ‘All right! No matter what happens, I’ve got to believe in my deck and in myself.’

The Pharaoh spoke in his mind. _**You made the correct decision, Yugi. In order to save the world from destruction, we’re going to need that card.**_

‘You’re right.’ Yugi hardened his resolve.

_**Slifer the Sky Dragon will help us defeat the Egyptian God Card held by Marik, as well as prevent him winning the one held by Kaiba, Obelisk the Tormentor. The Battle City Finals will be an epic clash between these three Egyptian Gods, but we must triumph.** _

‘Well, that’s not the only thing I’m worried about,’ Yugi said.

_**Hm?** _

‘I’ve got a bad feeling about Bakura,’ Yugi said. ‘I think Sharee does too. She gave him the look when she saw him enter the Stadium.’ “The look” was what Sharee did when she was suspicious of someone’s loyalties. He’d seen it a few times before. Her eyes narrowed, her gaze focused on the person and a tick generally appeared in her jaw.

_**Go on.** _

‘How did he recover so quickly and become a Battle City Finalist?’ Yugi asked. ‘Unless the person on board isn’t Bakura.’ The Pharaoh remembered as well as he did. There was an Evil Spirit in Bakura’s Millennium Ring – the Thief King, the woman of the Shadow Realm had said. They also remembered what Tristan had said. ‘But Tristan got rid of the Millennium Ring in Duellist Kingdom. So how could the Evil Spirit that once controlled Bakura be back again?’

_**You can’t predict the path of a Millennium Item. Shamee and Sharee both knew that when Tristan did attempt to dispose of it. The Ring must’ve found its way back to Bakura.** _

That had to be it. ‘Oh, no!’

The Pharaoh knew the problem as well as he did. _**Now winning will be even harder.**_

‘We have no choice,’ Yugi said. ‘We’ve got to win. The fate of the whole world depends on it.’

_**Yes, but many dangers lie ahead, so we have to be prepared for anything.** _

***

Sharee stood in the room, looking at the Egyptian woman…the eighth Finalist. It was exactly who she thought it was. It gave her the opportunity to ask. The woman in question bowed her head, as if confirming something to herself. Sharee had just told her what’d happened on the boat.

‘You noticed,’ the woman said. ‘I wondered what the surprise on your face was for.’

‘Yes. I did notice. I know what I felt. When I hit him in the back, there were intricate indentations. It wasn’t his spine. What was it?’

‘I will tell you, but you will not like it.’

***

The screen in the room came on.

‘Attention, duellists.’ The one on the screen, Téa was sure, was called Roland. ‘The Battle City Finals are about to begin. Mr. Kaiba requests the presence of all finalists in the main hall.’ The screen flicked off.

‘Good luck,’ Serenity told Joey.

Joey looked at his duel disk. ‘All right now, you guys…let’s go!’

‘Yeah!’ She, Tristan and Duke cheered.

Joey opened the door and they all walked out, just as Kaiba strode past.

‘Winners first, monkey-boy,’ he snapped.

‘What’d you say, tough guy?’ Joey demanded.

Kaiba ignored him.

Joey clenched his fist. ‘Yeah, you better walk away!’

As Kaiba passed his room, Namu walked out.

‘Hm?’ Then he saw them. ‘Hello, Joey.’

Joey smiled and walked over. ‘Hey, Namu.’

‘Before we begin, let me just say: may the best man win.’

Joey smiled ‘I will. And let me just say, I hope you’re not too disappointed when I beat you, Namu.’

Namu gave him a look, like he wasn’t sure how to take that. ‘Well, I admire your determination, Joey. Let’s go.’

‘Yeah!’ Joey ran ahead.

He didn’t get very far before they were all nearly scared out of their socks by a yell from one of the other rooms.

‘What stupid idiot thought of THAT?’

***

Yugi picked up his deck. ‘This is it.’ He slid it into his duel disk. This was the beginning. This was what it all came down to. This was his destiny. Most of all, this was the last countdown, and he had Sharee and all their friends right behind him. _The fate of the world depends on me and the heart of the cards!_

With that thought, he let the Pharaoh take control of their body.


	33. The Dark Spirit Revealed Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pharaoh is not fooled.

Shamee was in control of the body.

The Pharaoh knew her conversation currently going on with Téa was about discovering how they met “Namu”. From the look on her face…Marik’s true identity should be quite obvious. As for him, the Pharaoh was talking to Mai. There was a spread of food out for everyone. He supposed it was a common curtesy. Either that or Kaiba didn’t want to listen to anyone moaning about being hungry.

‘I have to admit, the blimp is a nice touch,’ Mai said. ‘And Kaiba spared no expense, but I’m ready to stop schmoozing and start duelling.’

Or course she was. ‘Well, I wish you the best of luck in the Finals, Mai.’

‘Who needs luck?’

A few minutes later, Mai had gone off to look at some of the food. Shamee came over to tell him what Téa had told her. By the end of it, the Pharaoh was face-palming. If they hadn’t been so concerned with Bakura, they may have noticed. It was so obvious that he’d have thought Joey would’ve at least considered it.

Speaking of Joey, he called out across the room to Kaiba. ‘Hey, what’s the hold-up? When are we gonna find out who we duel, Kaiba.’

‘Hmph. You’re in quite a rush just to lose, Wheeler.’ All the same, Kaiba activated his collar device. ‘Let’s begin this now.’ There was some mumbling from the collar before he responded to whoever he’d called. ‘Yes, now.’ He then spoke to the one they’d called Roland. ‘Let’s go.’

***

Shamee watched as the device rose up. She wasn’t really surprised to see it was in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. It looked like one of those Superdraw things they did on TV for the lottery. Yet, still, Shamee wasn’t really all that surprised. This would all come down to luck. She narrowed her eyes as the match was decided.

Yugi Moto versus “Bakura”.

_**It’s probably for the best.**_ He was the only Finalist who actually knew who was walking around as their friend. Looking at him, the Pharaoh also seemed pleased with the outcome of this lottery. Shamee was pleased to note one other thing. While Téa, Tristan and Duke were worrying, Joey had a suspicious look on his face. He knew something was up.

Shamee zoned out as the security guard told them all what they already knew.

Roland, if she’d heard Mokuba right, raised his arm and pointed. ‘The Battle City Finals are about to begin. The arena is located in the upper deck.’

***

They stood in the lift as it ascended.

 _I know that’s not Bakura,_ Yugi thought. _It’s the Evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring, and I bet he’s still after the seven Millennium Items. This duel’s gonna be tougher than everyone thinks._

The lift stopped and the door opened. Roland stepped out first. He turned and gestured to the arena. ‘I welcome you to the Stratos Duelling Arena.’

The two of them walked onto the arena and took up their places. Roland walked over and stood on the section off to the side that was obviously meant for the referee. The Pharaoh stared across at his adversary. ‘I must win this. The fate of the world depends on it.’

Roland projected his voice. ‘Duellists, take your marks!’

The Pharaoh stood on the blue triangle on his side of the field.

‘Elevate the playing field.’

The arena lifted up, taking them with it. The other lift must’ve been located underneath because his friends emerged from below, followed by Marik. They stopped and turned around, looking up at the duel. Several of them made sounds of awe. The Kaiba brothers came from another life and stood on the other side of the arena.

‘All right, I’ll make this speech quick so we can begin this duel,’ Kaiba said. ‘Kaiba-Craft 3 is now cruising at an altitude of four thousand feet. The strong winds and cold air will test your strength and stamina. If you can’t take it, you don’t belong here.’

Tristan apparently liked it. ‘Yeah! I dig this little twist.’

‘I have to admit, Kaiba does know how to throw a Tournament.’

‘Are you prepared to lose it all?’ The Evil Spirit, it seemed, was ready to abandon his charade.

‘I won’t lose,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Before we begin this duel, why don’t you tell who you really are and stop this charade.’

The Evil Spirit chuckled.

‘All right, have it your way then, but I think I know who you are.’

The Millennium Ring took form around his neck and flashed with its golden glow. He lifted his head, lips twisted into a smirk. That was a face that the Pharaoh remembered. It was the very same one who he had defeated and banished last time. He wasn’t very surprised, but he had to keep something up his sleeve.

‘It is you! The Spirit of the Millennium Ring.’

***

‘Hey, look at Bakura,’ Téa said.

‘Aw, man.’ Joey saw it too. ‘He’s wearing that Millennium Ring again.’

‘That can’t be!’ Tristan insisted. ‘I got rid of it at Duellist Kingdom. I tossed that thing into the deepest part of the woods! Miles from anywhere! I don’t know how Bakura got it back, but I know it’s not a good thing.’

‘Yeah.’ Shamee scratched the back of her neck. ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell you that wouldn’t last.’

Joey, Tristan and Téa spun around. ‘You knew?’ they demanded.

‘Of course I knew!’ Shamee snapped. ‘It’s a freaking artefact from the freaking Shadow Games. Throwing it away isn’t going to get rid of it.’

‘You got a point,’ Joey said.

‘So why all the fuss?’ “Namu” asked.

Shamee rolled her eyes, but gave an answer before any of the others could. They were just plain embarrassing her. ‘Long story, but it ties into a five thousand year old Egyptian Legend.’

‘Let’s just hope he doesn’t drag Yug to the Shadow Realm again.’ Joey said. ‘That’s not a place you wanna be.’

‘What do you mean “hope”?’ Shamee asked. ‘You know he’ll do it.’

***

‘Well, then,’ the Evil Spirit said. ‘Now that the introductions are over and done with, why don’t we begin this duel?’

‘First, tell me why you’ve entered the Battle City Finals,’ the Pharaoh snapped, ‘and what it is you hope to gain. Is it about the Millennium Items?’

‘Huh. Perhaps,’ he said. ‘Yugi, perhaps there is something else that I am planning to take away from you, besides your Millennium Puzzle.’

‘What are you talking about?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?’ the Spirit mused. ‘There is so much about this Tournament that you are unaware of. So many secrets being kept from you. For instance, how do you know that I am working alone? And are you sure that one of the people you believe to be your friend isn’t really your greatest enemy.’

He’d just basically told him that he was working with Marik.

Couldn’t let Marik know that yet though. ‘I don’t believe you. Lies are a part of your game, but they won’t help you in this duel.’

Roland raised his arm. ‘And, now, the first duel of the Battle City Finals will begin! It’s time to duel!’

Their life points flew up to 4000. They drew their hands.

Tristan called out from the sidelines. ‘Finish this Evil Spirit, Yug!’

‘Come on, Yugi!’ Téa called out too. ‘We’re with you!’

The Pharaoh looked across at the Thief King as a strong wind rushed over them. ‘Just know, whatever it is you desire you will fail!’

‘Not quite,’ the Thief King said. ‘It is you who shall lose – everything you have!’ He drew. ‘Yugi, I can assure you that the first duel of the finals will also be your last.’ He looked at his card and played it. ‘I shall begin with this.’ The card appeared face up on the field and the monster emerged. ‘The Portrait Secret in attack mode. That’ll do for now.’

The Pharaoh and Yugi both analysed it.

_He played a really weak monster in attack mode,_ Yugi remarked. _That’s not a smart move at all. He must be up to something. But what?_

Joey raised his voice so he could hear. ‘Dismantle that possessed picture frame!’

‘Is that really all you’ve got?’ The Pharaoh doubted it, but to find his strategy, he’d need to attack him. He pointed across the field as he made his move. ‘Then now I’ll summon Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts!’ He played the card and his monster appeared on the field, emerging from his card with a roar. ‘Attack his monster, now!’ Gizelle crossed the field and slashed across the Portrait, easily destroying it.

The Thief King’s life points dropped down to 3700.

‘Now I’ll place one card, face down.’ The Pharaoh did just that to end his turn. The card appeared in front of him. ‘Why don’t you try again?’

The Thief King glared at him. ‘Fine. Now I shall play the Gross Ghost of Dreams in attack mode.’ He played the card and it flipped up. It appeared on the field in a theatrical manner, emerging from the mouth of a sleeping figure which only appeared on the field for that one purpose.

Joey cried out in fright from the sidelines. ‘That’s foul!’

‘Attack my monster if you dare,’ the Thief King said.

That didn’t make sense. It only had an attack strength of 1300. ‘Your Ghost is no match for my Gizelle, and with no trap or magic cards you can’t stop my attack.’ Still… _He must want me to destroy him for some reason. I just have to wipe out his life points before he finishes his strategy._ The only way to do that was to attack. ‘It’s time to extinguish your Ghost, leaving your life points wide open.’ He drew and looked at the card. ‘And I’ll do it with this.’

‘Then what are you waiting for?’ the Thief King demanded.

‘Nothing!’ The Pharaoh played the card. The monster appeared on the field. ‘I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Attack his Ghost, now!’ Gamma charged and struck. The Ghost was destroyed. ‘Now, King of Mythical Beasts, attack his life points.’ Gizelle charged next, and attacked the Thief King directly.

The Thief King stumbled back a step. His life points dropped to 2000.

***

Sharee watched all of this with one eyebrow raised.

‘Come on!’ Duke called. ‘Crush this guy, Yugi!’

‘He’s not even fighting back.’ Tristan’s tone implied disbelief.

Téa, on the other hand, sounded confused. ‘Yugi’s wiped out half his life points and the duel just started.’

_They’re right. This is too easy._

_**Kind of makes you suspicious, doesn’t it?** _

_Very._

_**Well, that’s their problem. Ours is standing behind you.** _

_Don’t worry. I’m watching him._

***

The Thief King drew. ‘All right, Yugi, perhaps I made things too easy for you. Not anymore.’ He added the card to his hand.

‘That’s what you think,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’

The Thief King took another card from his hand. ‘As you wish.’ He played it. ‘I summon the Headless Knight, in attack mode.’ The card flashed onto the field and then disappeared.

The Pharaoh scowled. ‘I’m afraid I don’t see your monster.’ There was a strange fog on the ground at their feet though.

‘Perhaps that’s because he’s a spirit,’ the Thief King said. ‘He hides in the shadows until the time is right.’ He laughed.

‘Hm.’ The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes as he observed the monster slowly appearing on the field. When it took full form, he observed its to be little more than a suit of armour without the helmet. Its attack power was 1450. ‘This spirit may be stronger than your last two monsters, but it’s still weaker than mine.’

‘Then why don’t you attack it?’ the Thief King asked for the third time.

The Pharaoh drew. ‘Take this!’ He didn’t play anything yet. He pointed to the spirit and called to his monster. ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack!’ Gamma charged forward and destroyed the Headless Knight.

The Thief King ground his teeth.

The Pharaoh called to his other monster. ‘Now, Gizelle, attack his life points directly!’ The King of Mythical Beasts let out a cry and struck.

The Thief King’s life points dropped down to 450.

‘Now, you’ve lost most of your life points,’ the Pharaoh said. _I can win this duel with one more attack. Unless his strategy kicks in now, he’s finished._ ‘Time to make your final move!’

Either they went through a cloudbank as the Thief King chuckled…or he was exercising his Shadow Powers. ‘All right, then.’ As soon as they passed through the clouds, the Evil Spirit started laughing. His Millennium Ring glowed brightly. Now, he was using his Shadow Powers. His expression became wild and fearful. ‘It’s time.’ A blue glow covered his pupils. ‘You’ve done exactly what I wanted you to do. Now your destruction begins.’ He drew. ‘It’s over.’ He paused. ‘I hold a card in my hand with dark powers beyond your wildest imagination. But first, before I put-play this all-powerful card, I needed a bit of assistance.’

The Pharaoh’s eyes widened.

‘Thanks for helping me destroy you,’ the Thief King said. ‘Three of my monsters needed to be destroyed before I could bring forth my Dark Destructor.’ He pulled a card from his hand. ‘You made that possible. Now I summon the beast that will cause your demise.’ He raised the card and turned it around. ‘Dark Necrofear!’ He played the card and it appeared on the field. The first thing to emerge from the card face was a purple tendril of light. It whirled through the air as the energy gathered. ‘You have no idea what you are about to experience.’ The light stopped in front of him and the beast took form. It was shrouded by a black energy.

The Pharaoh seized the new monster up. ‘I knew you were planning something!’

It had an attack power of 2200. ‘It doesn’t matter. You still fell into my trap and now you’re about to pay the ultimate price!’ He laughed again. ‘This is it. Your finished, Yugi. Dark Necrofear is one of the most destructive cards in my deck. You’ll never stop it.’ He launched into his mocking. ‘Stare into the face of defeat. You see? Not only is my monster strong, possessing more attack points than either of your monsters, but it also possess a dark magic hidden within, waiting to activate and destroy you.’

‘Your monster maybe powerful, but it’s not unbeatable!’ the Pharaoh snapped.

‘I’m not ready to attack yet.’ Bakura slapped two cards into his duel disk. ‘So, I will end my turn.’ The cards appeared on the field in front of him.

_Why didn’t he attack me?_ It was a good question. _His monster could easily destroy my Magnet Warrior or my Gizelle, and seriously damage my life points. Is he worried about my face down card, or is it something else?_

The Thief King was obviously growing impatient. ‘Make your move!’

‘When I’m ready.’ The Pharaoh glared at him. ‘You were foolish enough not to attack me when you had the chance. Now, you shall pay the price as I drew this!’ He pulled a card. Yugi was impressed. _Awesome. This card will destroy his Dark Necrofear, allowing me to wipe out the rest of his life points. It’s time to win this duel!_ The Pharaoh pulled one card from his duel disk. ‘I sacrifice Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts…’ The monster shattered on the field. ‘…in order to summon my Dark Magician Girl!’ The new monster appeared on the field in her usual cute way.

‘Fool,’ the Thief King said. ‘I’m afraid your magical fairy is too weak to destroy my monster.’ He chuckled.

‘That’s true.’ The Pharaoh acknowledged the point. ‘But apparently you’ve forgotten about my face down card.’ That silenced him. ‘It looks like you’re the fool.’ He pointed to the card in question. ‘Behold, my Magic Formula card!’ The card flipped up.

‘No!’ the Thief King cried out.

The book appeared on the field and unlocked, opening to allow the Dark Magician Girl access to its magic. ‘Yes.’ She grabbed the book and started speed-reading. ‘Magic Formula raises Dark Magician Girl’s attack power by 500 points,’ her attack flew up to 2500, ‘making her more powerful than your Necrofear.’

‘Yeah!’ Joey called. ‘Attaboy! Put that big creep six feet under!’

The Pharaoh issued the command. ‘And, now, attack his Necrofear – with Dark Burning Attack!’

The Dark Magician Girl attacked, shooting the blast out with a wave of her wand. Dark Necrofear let out a pathetic grizzle as it was destroyed. When the blast cleared, though, the Pharaoh found his friends’ cheers in poor taste. The Thief King was still smirking about something.

He chuckled. ‘Thanks. Once again, you’ve done exactly what I wanted, Yugi.’

_**What?** _

‘Don’t you realise that I’ve manipulated every move you’ve made so far?’ He drew and lifted the card. ‘Including destroying Dark Necrofear, so I can play this.’ The field magic slot slid out and the Thief King injected his card there. It closed up again. The card appeared next to him.

The Pharaoh gasped. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Watch as the entire playing field is engulfed in a shroud of dark magic, known as Dark Sanctuary.’ As the Thief King spoke, just that happened. He laughed as everyone around gasped in horror and shock – except the stone-faced Kaiba, of course. The entire air seemed to vibrate now and the sky became red, filled with eyes and mouths, and, in some cases, eyes in mouths. The Thief King went on. ‘Look around you. There’s no escaping the magic of Dark Sanctuary. Well done. Everything had to go just right for this to work and played your part perfectly.’

‘Now what?’ the Pharaoh asked.

‘Just wait,’ the Thief King said. ‘You have no idea what you’ve just helped me to unleash.’

_**Rat rot!** _

‘I also wouldn’t be counting on that urchin and your loose-lipped cow to show up,’ he said. For some reason, the Pharaoh felt anger at the woman and child being spoke of in such a way. The Thief King went on relentless. ‘Prepare to experience an evil like you’ve never seen before!’


	34. The Dark Spirit Revealed Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle between the Pharaoh and the Evil Spirit of the Ring heats up.

The Thief King laughed. ‘Yugi, you fool, you’ve helped me release the power of Dark Sanctuary and now the field is covered with a magic so terrifying it will keep you in a constant state of fear and eventually destroy you!’

‘It is you who should be afraid,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘You have no monsters left and you’re down to your last 150 life points.’ It’d apparently cost him 300 to use this card.

A white ghost head started swirling around the field as the Thief King answered. ‘That’s true, however the Evil Ghost of Dark Sanctuary is now protecting me, which will change my fortune dramatically.’

‘Your ghosts don’t frighten me. Without a single monster to defend your life points, I will win this duel and remove you from the Battle City Finals in one attack.’

‘You’re more foolish than I thought. Dark Sanctuary provides me power beyond your understanding. But, if you’re so confident, then go ahead and attack.’

The Pharaoh did just that. ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack his life points directly!’ Gamma charged, but then something unexpected happened. The Ghost of Dark Sanctuary shot out of his back and streaked across the field.

‘What?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

The Thief King issued his own command. ‘Evil Ghost, counterattack!’ It slammed into the Pharaoh.

With a grunt, he staggered back a step. His body stung from the blow. He’d still been able to lift his arm to protect his face though. ‘What’s going on? My monster’s attack didn’t work and I was attacked instead.’

The Thief King laughed again. ‘Very observant, Yugi. Your monster is possessed by the Evil Ghost of my Dark Sanctuary.’

‘It’s possessed?’

‘Yes, and that is how I was able to turn your own monster against you.’ He chuckled.

‘And have you possessed all of them?’

‘You’ll just have to figure that out for yourself if you have the nerve to try and attack me again.’ He closed his eyes with his confidence. ‘And, of course, possession is only one of my card’s powers.’

‘Huh?’

‘But you’ll find out what else Dark Sanctuary is capable of soon enough. In the meantime, we shall deal with the situation at hand.’

‘Go on.’

‘I will. Since you made the mistake of attacking me with a monster that was possessed, half of your monster’s attack points come out of your life points.’

_**Rat rot!**_ The Pharaoh knew he should have thought of that. His life points dropped down to 3250.

‘And then, just to make sure they don’t go to waste, the life points you lost will simply be added to mine!’ His maniacal laughter was accompanied by his life points shooting up to 900.

‘Your life points are still minimal. They’ll be gone soon.’

The Thief King stopped laughing, but the smirk never left his face. ‘We’ll just see about that, Yugi. You have no idea of the terror that lurks in my deck! Let’s see what’s next. Are you ready?’ He drew. He set the card. ‘I play Destiny Board.’ The card appeared on the field. ‘You’re finished!’

‘Destiny Board?’ the Pharaoh asked. ‘What does it do?’

It rose into the air as it begun to activate. ‘You’re about to find out.’ The Board emerged from the card.

***

‘That’s weird,’ Joey said. ‘All that fuss just for a board?’

‘I saw one of those boards at a haunted funhouse,’ Duke remarked.

‘You mean there’s gonna be more ghosts?’ Joey demanded.

‘Possibly.’ Sharee scrutinised it. ‘That’s an ouija board.’ She looked at her friends. ‘They came into usage in Victorian England when scam-artists would pose as mediums and clairvoyants. They used them to pretend to communicate with the dead.’

Téa sighed. ‘Trust you to have a history lecture.’

‘Man,’ Tristan said. ‘Ghosts and ghouls…Yug’s in real trouble.’

‘Hold on, guys.’ Serenity looked confused. ‘Isn’t this all just a game?’

Téa looked back at the battlefield. ‘Well, let’s hope so.’

_Knowing that Thief King, probably not._

***

‘I’ll ask you again,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘What does this card do? Answer me!’

The Thief King’s smirk remained firmly in place. He chuckled. ‘It’s quite simple. My Destiny Board gives me the ability to communicate with lost souls of the Shadow Realm. Using the letters on this board, they shall spell out a message for you. So, Yugi, it’s time for you to receive the first letter of your message.’ The arm began moving around, carrying the metal instrument with it. ‘And that letter is…’ The arm stopped. ‘…D!’

The letter appeared above the board. Even as he stared at it, the Pharaoh’s mind turned over what the Thief King had just said. He’d said “the lost souls of the Shadow Realm”. That meant that was where they were. At the start of the duel, he’d also told him not to count on the woman and child appearing. Was it possible that the Evil Spirit of the Thief King had brought them to a part of the Shadow Realm that was blocked off so his two spirit allies couldn’t come to his aid? _**Yes…it is very possible.**_

‘What is the Destiny Board going to spell out?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘You’ll see.’ The arm returned back to its original location. ‘Each turn the Destiny Board will reveal one letter. And then, after five turns pass and all five letters are revealed, this duel will end and you’ll lose absolutely everything, Yugi!’ He accentuated his statement by pointing at the Pharaoh. Then he broke into maniacal laughter.

The Pharaoh waited for him to finish. ‘Your Destiny Board doesn’t frighten me. I’ll defeat you well before its message is spelled out in four more turns. After all, it’s my destiny to win.’

‘Come on, Yugi!’ Téa called from the sidelines.

Joey added his two cents in. ‘Show this creep-a-zoid who’s boss!’

The Thief King laughed. ‘Yugi, with my Evil Ghost possessing your monsters, and my Destiny Board on the playing field, you’re done. Only four more turns and victory is mine.’ He took a card from his hand. ‘Now, I play the Dark Door.’ He set the card and it appeared on the field. ‘With this magic card on the field, you can only attack once per turn.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

The Thief King chuckled. ‘Your chances of defeating me have just decreased.’ He took a card and looked at it. ‘And, next, I’ll play Earthbound Spirit.’ He set the card and it appeared on the field. The head and arms of a brown mummified body, minus any bandages, emerged from the card. ‘But it won’t be around for long.’ He chuckled. ‘I plan to sacrifice it. You see, in order to keep my Dark Sanctuary card in play I need to sacrifice a monster each turn.’ He pointed to the Spirit. ‘So, begone!’ The monster and its card both disappeared once again.

‘Time for me to put an end to this.’ The Pharaoh drew. It was Kuriboh. _All right. Since he has Dark Door in play, I can only make one attack per turn. So I have to make this attack count._ He looked up at the field. _But I can’t use my Magnet Warrior since it’s possessed by an Evil Ghost, thanks to his Dark Sanctuary card. If I attack with it, I’ll lose life points again. So, my best bet is to attack him with my Dark Magician Girl. Since he has no monsters protecting him, and only 900 life points, I can wipe him out with one direct attack – as long as he doesn’t stop my attack with that face down card. This duel will be over._

‘Well, then,’ the Thief King said with a chuckle, ‘you seem to have trouble making up your mind, Yugi. Perhaps you should surrender now.’

The Pharaoh scowled. ‘Never!’ He slapped the card on the duel disk. ‘I summon Kuriboh in defence mode!’ The card appeared on the field and the small monster emerged. He called out the attack. ‘Now, my Dark Magician Girl, attack his life points directly!’ The Dark Magician Girl charged, but she didn’t make the attack. Instead, the Evil Spirit shot out of her back too.

The Thief King chuckled. ‘Dark Ghost, counterattack!’

The Pharaoh braced himself. _**Rat rot!**_ Once again, the Ghost slammed into him. He cried out and staggered a step. ‘What’s going on?’ The Dark Magician Girl looked back at him regretfully.

‘She was possessed,’ the Thief King said. ‘With each turn, I can choose a different monster for my spirit to possess. And now you lose even more of your life points…’

The Pharaoh’s life points dropped to 2000.

‘…but, fortunately, they get added to my own. My Dark Sanctuary is full of surprises, and since your turn is over you know what’s about to happen.’

The Pharaoh growled and drew back. ‘What? Tell me!’

‘Destiny Board gets another letter!’ The arm on the Destiny Board began moving around again. The came to rest on the second letter. The Thief King lifted his card. ‘And the second letter is…E.’ He set the card and that appeared next to the “D”.

‘Only three letters left!’ It suddenly occurred to the Pharaoh. ‘Wait!’

‘Yes?’

‘Our duel disks only have five slots,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Which means only five magic cards can be in play at once and each of your letters is one magic card, so as long as your Dark Door card is in play you can’t spell out your entire word.’

The Thief King chuckled. ‘Very observant, Yugi. However, with Dark Sanctuary I can play more than five magic cards.’

‘Huh?’ The Pharaoh drew back a bit.

‘In other words, even with my Dark Door magic card on the playing field I can still play all five letters of the Destiny Board and finish you off.’ He broke out into his maniacal laughter.

‘You mean your Dark Sanctuary card allows you to play extra cards and possess my monsters with an Evil Ghost?’

‘Yes, and that is what makes me unstoppable!’ He pointed at him across the field. ‘Yugi, your hope of winning is over. In just three short turns, you will be finished!’ He started laughing again. ‘Say goodbye to the Finals!’ He paused. ‘As long as the magic of Dark Sanctuary surrounds, I’m in control.’ He drew, and played his card. ‘I summon Sangan!’ The beast appeared on the field. ‘And now I’ll sacrifice it to maintain the power of Dark Sanctuary.’ The monster was instantly destroyed. ‘Sangan’s special effect allows me to draw one more card after its been sent to the graveyard.’ He did just that. ‘Now, let’s see what you can do. Not much, I’m sure.’

‘You’re wrong.’ The Pharaoh drew. ‘I draw!’ He cast his gaze over his side of the field. _I know one of my three monsters is possessed by the Ghost of Dark Sanctuary. But which one?_ He looked down at the monster directly in front of him. _I doubt it’s Kuriboh. He’s too weak for me to attack with anyway._ He lifted his gaze again. _So that leaves me with two choices: Gamma the Magnet Warrior or the Dark Magician Girl._ He glanced between the two, then ground his teeth. _Which is it? I can only attack once thanks to his Dark Door card, and if I choose the wrong monster to attack with I’ll lose more life points – and he’ll gain them! I can’t mess up, or I’m finished._

‘Proceed with your attack, Yugi, but choose wisely,’ the Thief King said. ‘For one of your monsters is possessed by the Evil Ghost of Dark Sanctuary.’

The Pharaoh looked at the card in his hand. _I know this monster isn’t possessed, cause I just drew it, but his attack points are low so I’ll just use it to protect my life points._ ‘I summon Big Shield Gardna in defence mode!’ He played the card and it emerged on the field.

‘That was pointless,’ the Thief King said. ‘Nothing can protect your life points from the Ghost of Dark Sanctuary.’

The Pharaoh ground his teeth and tensed in anger. _All right. Time to attack! But I gotta make sure I don’t choose the monster that’s possessed, or half of that monster’s attack points will be taken out of my life points. Since my Magnet Warrior has less attack points, I’ll choose him._ Cause, really, there was no way to tell which monster it was. ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack now!’ Gamma charged forward. This time, no Ghost came streaking out of his back so he’d gotten it right. The Thief King watched the approaching attack calmly.

‘You’ve triggered my trap card, Dark Spirit of the Silent!’ His face down card flipped up. A ghoul emerged and streaked across the field. ‘This card instantly stops your Magnet Warrior from attacking me. Did you honestly believe I’d let you attack my life points directly, Yugi? Never! And there’s more. Once my trap card stops your Warrior, it will force Dark Magician Girl to attack!’

So, as he thought, she was the one possessed. Magnet Warrior was knocked off from his attack. ‘No! If my Dark Magician Girl is the monster that’s possessed and she attacks you, then that means I’ll lose more life points!’

‘Correct. And I’m afraid she is, so say goodbye to 1250 life points.’

The Pharaoh swore he saw tears in her eyes as she was forced to attack and the Ghost emerged from her back, striking him once again. His life points dropped down to 750.

‘Looks like you get weaker…’ the Thief King said as his own raised to 3400, ‘…as my life points grow higher and higher.’ He took a moment to compose himself. ‘I’m afraid this duel is almost over. Too bad. There’s no hope left. One more attack to your life points and you’re finished.’ He chuckled.

The Pharaoh maintained his silence. _He’s right. If I attack him with one more monster that’s possessed, I’ll lose the rest of my life points and be eliminated from the Finals._ A painful twinge took up residence in the Pharaoh’s head. _If I could only figure out how to destroy the Evil Ghost of Dark Sanctuary. There must be a way. But how can I destroy something I can’t even see?_

‘What’s the matter?’ The Thief King was clearly enjoying the lead he had. ‘Perhaps you would like to forfeit the duel?’

_I’ll never quit. This duel isn’t over and I know I have something in my hand that can help turn things around._ He looked over his cards. _Hm…_

_**There.** _

_Huh? Oh, wait! That’s…_

_**Yes.** _

_Maybe those cards will help._ The Pharaoh pulled them from his hand. ‘I place two cards face down,’ he set the cards and they appeared in front of him, ‘and end my turn.’  
The Thief King, apparently, was on a roll. ‘So, I see that you haven’t yet realised that nothing can save you now. It’s merely a matter of time, Yugi.’

‘Wrong,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘I can assure you that your Evil Ghost of Dark Sanctuary is in for a rude awakening. And once it’s gone I’ll be free to attack you.’

‘You’re no match for the power of my deck, Yugi.’

‘We’ll see about that!’

‘Time is running out. Look at the Destiny Board.’ The arm moved again. The Thief King took a card at the same time.

‘The third letter! What is it?’

The Thief King set the card as the arm came to the letter in question. ‘A. Two short turns and it’s all over!’

The Pharaoh looked at the letters. D-E-A…His mind scanned over the words that it could possibly be spelling. He heard Sharee groan on the sidelines. He could see why now too. There was only one five-letter word that would really make sense in the situation. It was irritating, but he wasn’t really surprised.

‘The Destiny Board is displaying three letters.’ The Thief King drew.

‘I’m aware of that.’

‘I play Souls of the Forgotten…’ He set his card and it appeared on the field. A plethora of spirits surged forth. ‘…and sacrifice it to keep Dark Sanctuary.’ They all disappeared again. He laughed. ‘It’s time for you to try and attack me again, if you dare. But, remember, one of your monsters is possessed so be careful.’ He lifted his head. ‘Now make your move.’

It was the Pharaoh’s turn to smirk. ‘I’ll do it with pleasure. I have a plan to demolish your Evil Ghost once and for all.’

For the first time, the Thief King seemed to take his words seriously. ‘It can’t be.’

‘It is,’ he said. ‘And once your Ghost is gone I won’t have to worry about my monsters being possessed.’

‘Yugi!’ Joey called. ‘Give this horror show a happy ending!’

‘Say goodbye to your Ghost.’ The Pharaoh drew.

‘My invisible Ghost is possessing a monster now,’ the Thief King said. ‘So, why don’t you figure out where it is and then destroy it?’

‘I don’t have to figure out where your Dark Ghost is. I have a card in my deck that can find it for me. And now…behold!’ He activated one of his face down cards and it flipped up. ‘The trap card, Collected Power! It forces certain monsters to focus their effect on Kuriboh.’ He pointed to the monster in question. The first thing to be removed was the Magic Formula from Dark Magician Girl. Out of the corner of his eye, the Pharaoh saw Kaiba looking disdainful at the move for a moment, before his eyes widened in realisation. ‘So who’s in control now? I knew that your Evil Ghost lived within Dark Sanctuary.’

The Thief King growled.

‘Therefore, I knew I had to play my trap card of Collective Powers, because it would force your Evil Ghost right out of its hiding place and into Kuriboh.’

The Thief King ground his teeth and growled again. ‘What do you plan to do?’

‘Simple.’ The Pharaoh held up a card. ‘I’ll use this. A magic card called Exile of the Wicked, which will automatically destroy my Kuriboh.’ He chuckled and set it on the field. ‘So, Exile of the Wicked, wipe out my Kuriboh and his Dark Ghost.’ The card’s effect was instantaneous. The Evil Ghost tried to escape Kuriboh but it couldn’t. Both his monster and the Ghost were disintegrated. ‘And now, Evil Spirit of Dark Sanctuary be gone!’

The Thief King growled, and then smirked. ‘You may have defeated my Ghost, but my Destiny Board will still destroy you in only two turns when it completes its message.’

‘Don’t count on it,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘This duel isn’t over and it’s still my move.’

‘Huh?’ He suddenly looked worried.

‘All right!’ Joey cheered from the sidelines.

Tea called out too. ‘Way to go, Yugi!’

The Pharaoh felt a tremor from the Millennium Puzzle. There was a communication between the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Ring. Marik and the Thief King were talking. They obviously thought he was unaware of it. He waited until it passed before he continued his move. ‘All right, it’s time to bring back a monster from the graveyard.’ He activated his second down card. ‘I play Monster Reborn!’ The familiar card flipped up and activated. ‘I’ll bring back a monster from your graveyard!’ The Thief King’s duel disk glowed brightly as the monster was revived. It came over to the Pharaoh’s side of the field. ‘Dark Necrofear, return!’ The monster appeared in front of him. ‘So, say goodbye to your Dark Sanctuary.’

The Thief King drew back as his Dark Sanctuary was destroyed. ‘Since destroying Dark Necrofear released it, I knew bringing it back would defeat it.’

A twitch appeared on the Thief King’s face. ‘No!’

‘And now that Dark Sanctuary is gone, I’m afraid that you are no longer permitted to have more than five magic cards in play at one time.’

He looked down at his duel disk.

‘This may foil some of your plans.’ The Pharaoh moved onto the offensive. ‘And now I’ll attack your life points directly, with Dark Necrofear!’ The monster rose up and narrowed her eyes for a moment. When they widened, red lightening shot out and formed into a beam. It struck the Thief King through the chest.

He cried out in surprise and pain.

‘All right,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘This duel’s almost done…’

The Thief King’s life points dropped down to 1200.

‘…since you’ve lost more than half of your life points.’

The Thief King raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. He lifted it up into the air. ‘Now I add the fourth letter to the Destiny Board!’ He pulled the card from his hand and added it to the duel disk. ‘The letter T.’

The Pharaoh looked up and smirked. ‘D-E-A-T. Your word is “death”. It’s too bad you’ll never play the last letter. Look at your duel disk.’

He did, with wide eyes.

‘You have five magic cards in play, and you have no room for any others. So if you want to play the last letter of your message, you must discard your Dark Door magic card and its effect on my monsters.’ The Pharaoh pointed across the field at him. ‘Allowing me to attack more than once in a turn. And, with no monsters to protect you and only 1200 life points, my three monsters would wipe you out in one turn. The decision is yours.’

The Thief King’s eye shook in rage. ‘This can’t be true…!’

There was another tremor of contact before the Thief King turned back to him. ‘Now prepare yourself, Yugi. It’s my move and this duel is far from over.’ He drew. When he looked at his card, he started laughing. ‘I’ve done it, Yugi. The time has arrived for me to regain my control…with this card!’

The Pharaoh knew he wouldn’t say that if he didn’t honestly believe it. ‘Oh, no!’

‘It’s all over, Yugi,’ the Thief King said. ‘The card I hold in my hand is my key to annihilating you.’

‘What card have you drawn?’ the Pharaoh asked.

‘Something that will help me take all that you have!’ He burst into his maniacal laughter once more.

‘The fate of the world depends on my victory,’ the Pharaoh murmured.


	35. The Dark Spirit Revealed Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Evil Spirit of the Ring and Marik decide to play dirty

‘It’s over, Yugi,’ the Evil Spirit said. ‘The card I’ve just drawn will destroy you.’

‘Enough talk!’ the Pharaoh snapped. ‘Make your move.’

The Evil Spirit lifted his head, smirking. ‘It’s time for you to lose it all! You may have destroyed my Dark Sanctuary and stopped its magic, but that was only temporary.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘A magic that powerful does not fade so easily.’

The Pharaoh gritted his teeth.

The Evil Spirit played his card. ‘So I summon Jowken the Spiritualist!’ The monster appeared on the field in attack position. The strange thing was that it only had an attack strength of 200.

_**What’s he doing?**_ ‘What’s your plan?’ the Pharaoh demanded. ‘Tell me!’

***

Sharee frowned.

‘I’m stumped,’ Joey said. ‘What’s that do?’

Tristan pointedly reminded him that he was one of the finalists. ‘Hey, you tell us, Mr. Expert.’

‘I’ve never seen it, all right?’ Joey retorted defensively.

Tristan pulled a face. ‘Well, excuse me! I thought you knew this stuff!’

Sharee looked at them and vocalised Sharee’s thoughts. ‘Are you guys really doing this now?’

‘Oh, right.’ Joey rubbed his head.

Tristan nearly flushed. ‘Sorry.’

Sharee shook her head and refocused on the duel as the Evil Spirit laughed. ‘By sacrificing one card in my hand I can use Jowken the Spiritualist to destroy all specially summoned monsters on the field.’

Joey leaned forward, disbelieving. ‘No way!’

‘Way.’ Mai corrected him. ‘Since Yugi summoned Dark Necrofear with a magic card, Bakura can destroy it.’

‘But won’t that release the dark magic thing with all the eyeballs like last time?’ Téa demanded.

‘Yes,’ Sharee said at the same time as Mai nodded.

***

The Evil Spirit took a card from his hand. ‘So I sacrifice this card…’ He discarded it into his graveyard. ‘…to activate Jowken to do my dirty work for me.’ He issued the command.  
‘Destroy Dark Necrofear!’ Jowken moved, lifting a hand to his face before twirling his staff around and extending it to the other monster in question. A beam of purple light, electricity crackling around it, blasted from the top of his staff and struck Dark Necrofear. The resurrected monster was destroyed.

The Pharaoh drew back. ‘You sent Dark Necrofear back to the card graveyard.’ He tensed. ‘Which means one thing.’

‘Yes!’ The Evil Spirit was almost glowing from this small victory. ‘Dark Sanctuary is returning, and covering the field once again in its powerful magic. This will allow me to play the fifth and final letter of the destiny board, spelling its complete message – a message that will end this duel in your defeat, Yugi! It all happens in one more turn so prepare to say goodbye to the Battle City Finals, and so much more.’ He burst out laughing.

The Pharaoh gritted his teeth.

_**One more turn…** _

***

Joey made a loud sound of fear. ‘With this dark magic back, I’m freaked out!’

Mai groaned. ‘All right. Snap out of it, chicken-boy! Are you just gonna curl up in a ball, or are you gonna cheer for your friend?’

Serenity made her decision. ‘Go, Yugi!’

‘Come on!’ Téa murmured.

Joey was the loudest. ‘Yeah! I know you can get outta this mess, buddy!’

‘Are you sure?’ Serenity asked.

‘No matter how tough the fight, Yugi always pulls through!’ Joey had the conviction to convince his sister. ‘I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy, but Yugi can do it.’

***

‘I’d suggest giving up now, Yugi,’ the Evil Spirit said. ‘Nothing you do can stop me from completing the Destiny Board. I shall reveal the last letter next turn.’ He pointed across the field. ‘And you will automatically lose everything!’

The Pharaoh drew back.

The Evil Spirit went on. ‘And since I must sacrifice a monster to maintain Dark Sanctuary, farewell, Jowken.’ The monster he’d just summoned was dispersed. The Evil Spirit made his last move for the turn. ‘I’ll set one card face-down.’ It appeared on the field. ‘And end my turn. The ectoplasmic head floated past him with a cry. ‘Remember my Ghost is back to possess one of your monsters.’

The Pharaoh had no patience for such pointless statements. ‘I’m well aware.’

The Evil Spirit was undaunted. ‘But which one will I choose? You’ll just have to guess, eh, Yugi? But attacking me with a possessed monster could cost you your life points, so choose wisely.’

‘Fine!’ the Pharaoh snapped. ‘I have no intention of losing. I outsmarted your spirit once before and I plan to do it again. The first thing I need to do is figure out which of my three monsters your evil spirit has possessed.’

‘That won’t help you,’ the Evil Spirit looked down, ‘thanks to my face-down card, Dark Spirit of the Silent. So no matter which monster you choose to attack with, my Dark Spirit of the Silent will shift that attack to the monster that is possessed, which will then cause you to lose a large number of your remaining life points.’ He sniggered.

_If I attack, his Ghost will drain the rest of my life points. But if I don’t attack, he’ll play the last letter of the Destiny Board and I’ll automatically lose._ Yugi’s thoughts caused the Pharaoh to scowl and look down at the cards in his hand. He forced aside the sensation of phantom pain in his head. _And none of my magic cards can stop them either. But I can’t lose!_

The Evil Spirit sneered. ‘It’s your last turn, Yugi. Just one move more and I shall win.’ His face took on a look of maniac glee. ‘You’re done – once and for all!’ He was on the brink of laughing now. ‘You can’t win, Yugi!’

He vaguely heard his friends talking on the sidelines. There was a bit of yelling, but all he heard clearly was Joey calling up. ‘We believe in you, Yugi! I’ve seen you get outta way tougher spots than this before, so you can win this!’

Then Mai called up. ‘You can do it, Yugi! Pull the sheet off his Ghost!’

‘Yugi! Téa called. ‘Hang in there!’

It was Tristan’s turn. ‘You can beat him, Yugi! Come on!’

The Evil Spirit completely ignored them. ‘Can’t you see? I have already defeated you. Just make your move so I can end this duel, Yugi.’

The Pharaoh stared, mind going blank for only a moment.

_There is one card in my deck that can save me._ The Pharaoh looked at his deck as Yugi continued. _Even if I’m lucky enough to draw it, it may be too dangerous to play._

The Pharaoh knew which card he was talking about.

_Then again, what choice do I have?_ Yugi appeared beside him. _I guess we only have one hope to win this._

_**That’s right,**_ the Pharaoh said.

_If we don’t play the Egyptian God Card this turn, we’re gonna lose the duel. We’ve got to win to save the world! We have to draw it now._

_**Yes, we must. The Heart of the Cards will guide us. Now let’s do this!** _

***

Kaiba watched the duel, his impatience growing by the minute. _Use your Egyptian God Card, you fool._

***

The Pharaoh reached for his deck. ‘Prepare to experience a power like no other!’ _Come on, Heart of the Cards!_ He drew. He looked. _  
**Perfect.**  
_

Lightning began to crackle in the sky as the Pharaoh began the summoning. The Evil Spirit cried out in alarm as the lightning seemed to strike the blimp. Bright light engulfed the whole field. The Pharaoh held the card over his head. ‘I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and Big Shield Gardna…’ The three monsters disappeared, one by one.   
His new card appeared on the field. ‘…to summon the almighty Slifer the Sky Dragon!’

Light erupted from the card and lightning crackled. The light was suddenly drawn up into the sky. It shot through Dark Sanctuary and instantly destroyed it. The light began to take shape. It sprouted wings, and took on a solid red form. It wrapped around the blimp like a gigantic serpent. Finally, there was Slifer. It lowered its head, nearly level with the Pharaoh and roared at the Evil Spirit.

The Evil Spirit drew back, wide-eyed and shocked. ‘His Egyptian God Card!’

The Pharaoh did not miss Kaiba’s self-satisfied smirk on the sidelines. On the other side, only Sharee, who had seen this before, knew what to make of it. Only she and the Kaiba brothers had been present when he’d obtained it. She was calmly explaining it to the others.

The Evil Spirit attempted to appear unshaken. ‘Yugi, your Egyptian God Card is powerful, but it does not guarantee your victory. I’ve come much too far to lose now.’

‘I’m afraid it’s over!’ The air of finality in his tone came easily.

‘Never!’ the Evil Spirit snapped. ‘The Ghost of Dark Sanctuary is still wandering the field, Yugi.’ He issued his order. ‘And now, my Evil Ghost, it’s time to attack!’ The Ghost charged at Slifer. ‘Possess Slifer the Sky Dragon!’ But the Ghost dispersed before it even got to the Egyptian God. The Evil Spirit stared in confusion. ‘What happened? My Dark Ghost had no effect.’

‘It’s a God!’ Sharee called from the sidelines.

There was that tremor in the Millennium Puzzle again. Were the Evil Spirit and Marik plotting together again? Well, of course they were but to what means this time? Did they have a way to take Slifer down? Unlikely. The Pharaoh ran through all the possibilities in his mind. Could they be plotting to play dirty?

‘I can’t lose!’ the Evil Spirit insisted. ‘There’s too much at stake for me. I must win!’

‘You won’t win!’ the Pharaoh stated. ‘This duel is over.’

‘All right!’ Joey cheered. ‘Nice going, Yug!’

The Pharaoh made his final statement. ‘Prepare to lose!’

‘This can’t be!’ the Evil Spirit declared in desperation.

***

Sharee waited. She had a very good idea what was coming. Odion was coming up to the battle area via the elevator. Shamee could feel it. Marik was orchestrating this whole thing and he was counting on the Evil Spirit of the Ring to get him the God Card that was currently in play. She was really expecting a trick to be played. _If I was them, what would I do right now?_

The Pharaoh began the order. ‘Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack his life points with—’

At the same time as he felt it, surely, Sharee felt a greater disturbance. Something was going on with the items. The Pharaoh and she both turned as the lift doors behind the ancient opened and Odion stepped out. The Millennium Rod – fake, she was sure – glinted. Okay, what now?

‘Marik?’ the Pharaoh asked, despite knowing perfectly well that was not Marik. But they had a performance to adhere to. ‘What does he want?’

Odion stopped and looked up at the Pharaoh. ‘Perhaps you want to wait before you attack with Slifer the Sky Dragon.’

‘What do you want, Marik?’ the Pharaoh asked.

Joey decided it was a good time to pick a fight. ‘Hey, come up here and get a piece of this!’ He charged.

‘Joey!’ Luckily, Duke was fast enough to stop him.

‘Yeah, dude,’ Sharee said. ‘I know you’re mad, but please control yourself!’

‘Yeah!’ Tristan ran around to stop him front the front. ‘I don’t think you wanna mess with this guy, man!’

Mokuba still pulled him up on it. ‘Hey, you! Just who do you think you are anyway? You can’t just bust in here and interrupt someone else’s duel!’

Kaiba’s eyes narrowed.

‘What is it?’ the Pharaoh demanded.

‘Listen carefully. Bakura is now under the control of the Millennium Rod,’ he held up the item in question, ‘and will do only what I command him to do.’

That wasn’t true. Sharee and Shamee both knew it. If the Pharaoh did, he put on a good show. He twisted around fully. ‘What? How can that be? I thought the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was in control of Bakura!’

_**He knows,**_ Shamee told her. _**Because if you are in possession of a Millennium Item the Millennium Rod cannot control you. That’s why Marik never tried to control you or Yugi. He knew it wouldn’t work.**_

Odion continued his lie though. ‘True. But now I am in control of both Bakura and the Spirit. And now I shall prove it, by freeing your friend’s mind.’

‘What?’ The Pharaoh spun again.

Sharee watched with little surprise as Bakura suddenly crumpled to the ground. The wound in his arm was finally too much for the boy, whereas for the Spirit it had been no trouble.   
‘Oh, my arm…’ He probably had no recollection of getting the wound anyway. ‘It hurts!’

‘Bakura!’ the Pharaoh called.

Joey was on the same line. ‘Bakura!’

‘Are you okay?’ Téa called up to him.

‘I doubt it,’ Sharee said. ‘The Spirit probably pulled his stitches and just left it like that. Look at him. He’s in so much pain he can’t even stand.’

Bakura lifted his head. ‘Yugi, help me. I…I don’t know where I am. What am I doing here in this duel?’ He looked at his bandage. ‘What happened to my arm?’

Sharee looked over at the Kaiba brothers. ‘Hey, Kaiba, can we call this off on account of injury?’

Kaiba scowled and answered. ‘Only if he’s physically unable to continue the duel.’

‘You don’t call that “physically unable”?’ Duke asked.

‘To Kaiba, “physically unable” means “passed out”.’ Sharee looked up at the “duel” again.

‘It is him,’ the Pharaoh murmured.

Odion spoke again. ‘He’s in pain. Without the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, he is weak. Therefore, you may wish to reconsider your attack. Devastation by Slifer the Sky Dragon could make your friend’s condition even worse.’

The Pharaoh spun around again. ‘What?’

‘Would you risk the health of your friend?’

The Pharaoh was visibly angry. ‘Only a coward would do something like this to win a duel!’

Joey took a step forward with a growl. ‘That’s a cheap trick, Marik!’

Tristan called up to the injured boy. ‘Bakura, hang in there!’

‘Yugi!’ Téa called up to the Pharaoh. What she hoped him to achieve, Sharee had no idea.

Odion simply turned and walked away again.

Sharee looked back at the field. The Evil Spirit of the Ring was not so easily controlled. And it was a warrior, she had long come to suspect. It would only remain away from its host for so long. She closed her eyes and felt out its black heart through Shamee. She was right. It was growing restless.

‘I don’t feel very well, Yugi,’ Bakura said weakly.

The Pharaoh turned back around. ‘Bakura!’ He made to run forward.

The ref held up a hand. ‘Stop right there. You are not allowed to have contact with your opponent during a duel. Take one more step and you’ll be disqualified.’

The Pharaoh gritted his teeth.

‘Stop the duel right now!’ Téa called.

‘Bakura needs to see a doctor!’ Tristan insisted. ‘We’ve got to get him to a hospital now!’

‘If you don’t continue the duel, you will forfeit the match,’ the ref said.

_When this is over, I’m going to take that ref aside and clean his clock._

_**Well, they can’t exactly kick you out. Just don’t get carried away.** _

Bakura was in too much pain to register this. ‘Yugi, help!’

Kaiba spoke up. ‘Yugi, I’ll make this decision very easy for you: finish him off.’

‘I’ll give you a second warning: make your move or lose your spot in the finals.’

Joey went to jump up and have a yell but Sharee grabbed his t-shirt and yanked him down again. ‘Calm down and wait a bit.’ She then looked across and called over. ‘Kaiba, I don’t care how rich you are. This kind of jerkiness is bad for stocks a company’s reputation, isn’t it?’

Kaiba looked at her. He knew she’d do it.

Suddenly there was a bright glow from the Millennium Ring and when it faded, the Evil Spirit was back. Sharee was very certain it was the suddenness of the shift that had startled him. Not the fact that the Spirit was still in there. The Pharaoh knew just as well as she did that Evil Spirit could not be controlled.

The Pharaoh drew back. ‘What?’

‘I’m back, Yugi.’

‘It’s you!’

‘That’s right. I’m back in control of your friend, Bakura. I still need him.’

‘What?’

‘So if you plan on using your Egyptian God Card, Yugi, why don’t you use it on me right now.’ He lifted his arms. ‘Come on, Yugi!’

‘All right! It’s time!’ The Pharaoh ordered the attack. ‘Go, Slifer the Sky Dragon!’ Slifer opened his mouth and let forth a blast. ‘Attack!’

The Evil Spirit grinned as he took the blast. When the light of the blast cleared, the rest of the field did too. The holograms faded away. Bakura, or the Evil Spirit maybe, was left sprawled on his back. He didn’t move. The Millennium Ring appeared to be gone from around his neck. His life points dropped to zero.

The ref lifted his hand. ‘And the winner is: duellist number three, Yugi Moto.’

‘Bakura!’ The Pharaoh rushed over to him. This time he was not stopped.

‘Now, lower that arena and get them down here!’ Joey barked.

The arena lowered. Sharee stepped up and climbed onto the duelling platform. The others all hopped up after her and ran past her to where the Pharaoh was attempting to wake Bakura. She ignored the chatter as she leisurely strolled over. She noted that he apparently had switched back to his actual self.

‘Hey. So where am I?’

‘With your friends now, Bakura,’ the Pharaoh assured him.

‘He doesn’t look very good,’ Serenity said. ‘I think we need to get him to a doctor.’

‘So why don’t we get Kaiba to land this thing?’ Joey suggested.

‘Yeah! First,’ Tristan walked over, turned, and crouched in front of Bakura, ‘help him get onto my back so that we can get him to his room.’

The others helped Tristan pull Bakura onto his back. Tristan then lifted him up and headed for the lift. Everyone except for the Pharaoh and Sharee followed. Sharee stood with him and opened the link between their Millennium Items so that she could hear what he had to say.

_I hope Bakura’s okay,_ Yugi said. _That was one of the toughest choices I ever had to make. If the Evil Spirit didn’t come back to duel, I don’t know what I would have done. The Millennium Ring is a lot like my Puzzle. It contains an ancient spirit that depends on someone else so it can exist._

Close enough.

_Even though the Spirit of the Ring is evil and controls Bakura against his will, it seems to still need Bakura in order to survive. But there’s one major difference between you._

_**What’s that?**_ The Pharaoh asked.

_The Spirit inside my Item is my friend. And you and I are always there to support each other, no matter what comes along. You were there to help me when my grandfather was in trouble. I’m here to help you rescue the world from evil. I promise. Together, we’ll figure out the secrets of your ancient past and how to unlock your hidden powers before Marik can take them. Your destiny is mine too and we’re gonna win!_

The Pharaoh smiled. _**That’s right.**_

_This was a tough duel but thanks to our teamwork, and the Heart of the Cards, we came out on top. Now we’re heading for Round 2 and we’re gonna take it all the way as long as we stick together._

_**Nothing can stop us from our destiny.** _

They hit high fives.

Yugi went to move.

‘Hold on,’ the ref said, stopping him. ‘As the winner of the duel, you are entitled to take the rarest card from your opponent’s deck so it’s time to claim your prize, Yugi.’

Yugi frowned at the suggestion. ‘No way. I think Bakura’s been through enough already.’ He continued following his friends.

Sharee did pause though. She glared at the ref, before turning and calling over her shoulder as she left. ‘We’re gonna have a little talk later, buddy.’

***

Kaiba watched as Sharee, the last one to leave, disappeared into the elevator. He had a very good idea what her “talk later” with Roland would entail. He’d forgotten than Sharee was not naïve of the ways of the world. She knew precisely what kind of publicity he would get if it became known that he had forced a duel onwards when one duellist was displaying signs of incapacitation.

It would not be good for his company.

‘So, Yugi won the first duel of the Battle City Finals.’ Mokuba looked up at him. ‘I knew he would.’

‘No surprise,’ Kaiba said. ‘With a card as powerful as Slifer the Sky Dragon in his deck, Yugi is difficult to defeat.’ He narrowed his eyes. _Hm. Unless, of course, his opponent also had an Egyptian God Card._

***

Yugi sat between Téa and Joey at Bakura’s bedside.

‘Bakura’s been through a lot,’ Duke said. ‘And he definitely needs rest. We gotta land this blimp and get to a hospital.’

‘Yeah.’ Téa looked down.

‘Some crazy stuff went down in that duel.’ Joey turned his head thoughtfully. ‘Especially when Marik showed up. What exactly happened back there?’

Yugi answered. ‘For some reason, Marik didn’t want the Spirit of the Ring to lose. So when I was about to play my Egyptian God Card and win the duel, Marik used his Millennium Rod to free Bakura. Since Bakura was injured, he knew I would forfeit the duel instead of attacking him. But the Spirit must’ve been afraid I was going to attack Bakura, cause he took control again at the end.’

Joey looked at him. ‘So, wait. Do you mean to tell me that the Dark Spirit of the Millennium Ring let you win?’

‘Yeah, because he depends on Bakura to survive,’ Yugi said. ‘And if I attacked Bakura with Slifer, the Spirit might have been in danger too.’

Joey looked back at Bakura. ‘I’m confused. Even if you knew the Evil Spirit was in control, you still end up attacking Bakura.’

‘No.’ Yugi frowned. ‘Since the Evil Spirit was in control of Bakura when I attacked him, Bakura was spared.’

‘Let me put it another way,’ Sharee said, and all eyes turned to her. ‘When the Spirits are in control of our bodies, our physical endurance is vastly increased to the level they would have experienced. Remember, they come from times before there was all this technology. They did everything by hand. They’re stronger. Like if I jumped off a speeding train, I’d hurt myself. If my resident spirit did it, I’d be fine.’

Téa ventured a perspective. ‘This is all so confusing. It sounds like Marik and the Evil Spirit were in this together.’

‘Quite possibly,’ Sharee said.

‘Yeah,’ Yugi said. ‘But I’m not sure how or why. I just know we can’t let Marik win this tournament. And, hopefully, that Evil Spirit won’t be coming back again. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of evil spirits, and mind-controlling for one day.’

Joey suddenly leapt to his feet. ‘I’m sick of that Marik! Come on! Let me at him!’

‘Hey,’ Serenity said. ‘Don’t get yourself in trouble again.’

Tristan pulled their focus away. ‘All right. I think it’s time to talk to Kaiba about getting Bakura back into the hospital as soon as possible.’

‘Yeah,’ Yugi said. ‘Tristan’s right. Let’s get some help for Bakura.’ In his peripheral vision, he noticed Sharee’s lips were twisted as if doubtful.

Tristan shifted. ‘Then let’s stop talking about it already and go.’

‘Go ahead,’ Téa told them. ‘I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Bakura.’

‘Okay.’ Joey addressed the unconscious boy next. ‘Hang in there, Bakura. Help is on the way.’

They all stood up and headed up.

Yugi was about to follow when he noticed something. ‘Oh! Hang on, guys!’

‘Huh?’

‘Everything okay, Yugi?’

‘It’s gone,’ Yugi said.

‘What’s gone?’ Joey asked.

‘Bakura’s Millennium Ring.’

‘Did you just notice?’ Sharee asked. ‘That thing’s been missing since the end of your duel.’

‘Hm?’ Yugi looked at her.

‘That thing seems to come and go all the time without any explanation,’ Tristan pointed out.

‘Yeah,’ Joey said. ‘And your Egyptian God Card probably blasted it sky-high! Now let’s get going, huh?’

‘Well, all right.’ They headed out. ‘See you, Téa.’

‘Later, guys.’ After the door closed, none of them saw her eyes go blank. She lifted the Millennium Ring.

Marik cackled.


	37. Rage of the Egyptian Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi learns how the Egyptian Gods came to be.

Sharee’s cell phone rang in her pocket. She flicked it open and answered. ‘Hello? Oh, hi, Shauna.’ She stopped, and all her friends stopped around her. ‘Really? Okay, I guess that’s the best we can ask for. See you.’

‘What was that about?’ Serenity asked.

‘It seems Kaiba already has a doctor on board.’ Sharee hung up. ‘I doubt Kaiba will land this bird anyway, so I’m gonna go talk to him.’ She turned and headed off.

‘Okay,’ Joey said. ‘While she’s doing that, let’s go get Kaiba to land this bird!’

Didn’t listen to a word she said. Sharee shook her head. She just hoped Kaiba didn’t kill Joey. She glanced over her shoulder. Tristan and Duke were walking at the back, on either side of Serenity and both attempting to sweet-talk her. _As long as those two don’t kill each other too, I’m happy._

After her chat to the doctor, she was going to be speaking to that ref…with her knuckles.

***

Yugi sat in his room, his duel card spread out on the table in front of him. ‘Well, I won the first duel of the Battle City Finals.’ He began gathering them up. ‘Thanks to my Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon.’ _I still need to be careful with it. It seems like it has real powers, beyond this game._

Yugi looked out the window. He was startled when he saw that his reflection was not the only one. There, standing at his door behind him, was Shadi. Yugi spun around. ‘I remember you.’ Before he could say much more, though, there was a knock on his door.

Shadi stepped aside and Sharee stepped in. ‘Shadi.’ She walked past him and over to Yugi. She flicked her fingers, signalling him to stand. Yugi quickly did so. Had Shamee sensed him here, or had she just come and been expecting him at some point?

‘I suppose you came here to explain this whole mess?’ Sharee said.

‘Yes.’ Shadi turned his attention to him. ‘You’ve learned much since we first met in Duellist Kingdom, Yugi. You’re beginning to understand your fate and its relation to the past. A fate that intertwines with the spirit who dwells within your Millennium Puzzle.’

‘Well,’ Yugi said, ‘I know a little bit. Like he was an ancient Pharaoh.’

‘That is correct, and together you must save the earth.’

‘From an ancient evil, I know. But are you here to explain how cause I’m still confused.’

Shadi lifted his Millennium Key. ‘I am but the Guardian of the Seven Millennium Items. I am here because I sensed a disturbance in the Mystic Alignment once again.’

Yugi gasped.

‘All seven Items, plus the Bandanna, are on board this vessel,’ Shadi said. ‘As well as the three Egyptian God Cards. Which means all of the objects capable of saving and destroying the world are right here.’

‘Really?’ Yugi asked.

Shadi nodded. ‘And the earth’s safety rests with you, Yugi.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Heed my words: if the wrong individuals were to gain control of any of the Millennium Items, or one of the Egyptian God Cards, the results could be catastrophic. It nearly happened once before when Pegasus created Duel Monsters.’

‘It did?’ Yugi asked. ‘But how?’

‘Well, it all began when Maximillion Pegasus first arrived in Egypt,’ Shadi said. ‘He was searching for a method of reuniting with his lost love. His quest brought him to me, and I presented him with the Millennium Eye. For he was destined to possess it. Soon after, he discovered the origins of the Ancient Egyptian Shadow Games. Pegasus became obsessed with these games, and decided to dedicate his life to recreating them. He sought to resurrect the ancient mystical powers he discovered. But, much to his surprise, it almost destroyed him.’

Yugi gasped again.

Shadi went on. ‘Pegasus didn’t know his limits, but he would come to discover he’d unleashed a power far beyond his control.’

‘Tell me more,’ Yugi said.

‘Sharee has the beginning of the story.’ Shadi made the statement her cue.

Yugi looked at her.

‘The first thing Pegasus wanted was an archaeologist who knew something of the Nameless Pharaoh, as our friend in the Millennium Puzzle has become known to history,’ Sharee said. ‘My father was the only one known to have actually entered his actual tomb. It’s how I got this Bandanna,’ she pointed to her head, ‘and met Shamee. So Pegasus visited him in his office a few months after we returned home. He had a lot of money and an expedition for dad.’

 

**2 Years Ago, Yale University, New Haven, USA**  
‘You want me to what?’ Dennis Pertinicle demanded.

‘You obviously heard me.’ Pegasus gestured to the briefcase of money that Croquet held open on his desk. ‘Help me find these monsters and this is yours.’

Dennis stared at the money for a moment. Then he curled his lips, leaned back in his chair, and kicked his feet up on his desk. ‘Sorry. I like life too much.’

Croquet started. He’d obviously never seen someone turn down so much money.

‘What?’ Pegasus demanded.

‘You heard me.’ Dennis picked up a paper and started marking it. ‘I’d pack it in and go home if I were you. No one who wasn’t the Nameless Pharaoh, or one of his immediate blood relatives, has been known to even touch the Egyptian God monsters, never mind controlling them. Anyone who tried, died. Unless you have some kind of obscure blood relation to him, I’d suggest leaving it alone.’

 

**Present Day, Kaiba’s Blimp, Japan**  
‘Dennis Pertinicle was wise,’ Shadi said. ‘He knew he was not powerful enough to control these monsters. Pegasus did not even consider this though, and he got another archaeologist to chase after them. When Dr. Pertinicle discovered this, he contacted myself and the Sacred Guardians. I went to Pegasus’s excavation site immediately.’

 

**Two Years Ago, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt**  
Pegasus slammed his hand down onto the map with an aggravated growl. ‘They must be here somewhere! And I won’t rest until I find them. These three monsters are an essential part of my game!’

‘Maximillion Pegasus.’

‘Huh?’ Pegasus turned. He was shocked to see the Egyptian that had first given him his Millennium Eye. ‘It’s you! What do you want?’

‘If you are searching for the three Egyptian God monsters, you’ll never find them alone. They’ve been sealed away in a Pharaoh’s tomb that no mortal can penetrate.’

Pegasus straightened up. ‘Please go on.’

‘All right. I possess the power to uncover the power of these ancient beasts, Maximillion Pegasus.’

Pegasus rushed over, nearly tripping on a crate as he did so. ‘I must see them! Please, you have to take me there immediately!’

Shadi led Pegasus and a small crew away from the site and to a man-made structure with what appeared to be a well. A rope was cast down and Pegasus became excited. ‘This is it! The secrets of the most powerful shadow monsters are at my fingertips.’

Shadi was quick to say, ‘No. Our journey is not over yet.’

When they got to the bottom, Pegasus looked around, wide-eyed. ‘Astonishing! An entire underground city!’ They continued through the city. ‘Make sure you’re getting all of this on tape,’ he told the men with him.

‘Let us proceed, gentlemen,’ Shadi said. ‘What you seek lies this way.’

‘This seems simpler than you described, Shadi.’ It took less them a minute for Pegasus to see how wrong he was. There were shadows up ahead. ‘Someone else is here!’ Guards of some kind? ‘How will we get past these men?’

Shadi lifted his hands to his Millennium Key. ‘Observe.’ The Item glowed and Pegasus felt the magic spreading. ‘The power of my Millennium Key will protect us.’ They proceeded.   
‘Now, then, if you gentlemen will follow me.’

Pegasus was startled that they walked right past the guards and the men didn’t seem to see them. He ran right in front of one. ‘Why aren’t they stopping us?’

‘We’re invisible,’ Shadi said, ‘cloaked in the magic of my Item.’

‘Really? This is incredible!’ Pegasus lifted his arms and laughed in delight.

They continued on, walking for hours. Finally, Shadi led them to a large stone door. ‘Stop,’ he said. ‘We’re here. The creatures you seek lie inside this chamber. Shadi then opened the door, using his shadow powers to rise the heavy slab of ancient stone. As he did so, he continued. ‘Please, proceed with caution. You can take as many photographs as you’d like, but you mustn’t remove anything you find within.’

Pegasus was the first to walk into the chamber. ‘This one moment will make my entire trip worthwhile!’ He looked around as his men walked in after him. Then, he spotted it. He gasped as he saw it. ‘Ah! The Winged Dragon of Ra! Obelisk the Tormentor! Slifer the Sky Dragon!’ He rushed forward and ran to the massive stone tablet. ‘Hello, my ancient friends! It’s a pleasure to meet you!’

The men behind him gasped.

‘At last! I can unlock the secret powers of the three Egyptian God monsters! Once I immortalise these beautiful creatures in print, my Duel Monsters card game will be complete!’

It never occurred to him to look at the human figures on the tablet.

 

**Present Day, Kaiba’s Blimp, Japan**  
‘Triumphant, Pegasus returned to America to design his cards based upon the images he found on the stones,’ Shadi explained. ‘Whether he could control their incredible power, I did not yet know. You see, he was destined to awaken the Egyptian Gods monsters. But at a great cost, as Pegasus was about to find out.’

Yugi looked at Sharee. ‘So if your dad wouldn’t unearth them…?’

‘The Egyptian God monsters are needed to save the world,’ Sharee said. ‘Somebody would have to be the sacrificial lamb, so to speak. The cards had to be made, but the creators would be stuck by the rage of the beasts.’ She folded her hands behind her head. ‘New Haven and New York aren’t that far away. Just a small body of water between us. I saw when Slifer attacked the cameraman-slash-decipherer. Of course, we were looking out for it. He coiled around the building and squeezed like a cobra.’

‘What happened?’ asked Yugi.

‘The same thing that any cobra does to its prey,’ Sharee said. ‘It crushed the whole top of the building and killed Pegasus’s man.’

‘Pegasus was not pleased when he heard about these deaths,’ Shadi stated.

 

**Two Years Ago, New York, USA**  
‘So let’s see if I understand you correctly.’ Pegasus turned in his chair. ‘You say everyone involved in my Egyptian God Card Project has met with an untimely end?’

‘Um…’ Croquet hesitated. ‘Yes, sir.’ He seemed to compose himself before he launched into a vocal report. ‘Each one was found dead in an utterly destroyed building, sir, often surrounded by their work for you. I can only think of one solution. You must stop production of these monster cards.’

Pegasus slammed his fist onto his desk. ‘Never!’ He stood up. ‘The production of the three Egyptian God Cards is integral to the game of Duel Monsters, and to my entire corporation! We can’t let these little incidents stop us. We’re on the verge of making history here, Croquet! I don’t care if the cards are cursed. I’ll do it myself, under the protection of my Millennium Eye.’

***

And he did so, taking it back to his countryside mansion and painting the faces of the cards in question by his own hand. ‘Yes, my amazing creatures,’ he cooed at them. ‘I am honoured to bring you back to life after all these years. I’ll spare no detail in your re-creation. There we go.’ He finished the last one and chuckled. ‘I don’t seem to be meeting with an untimely end at the hands of these three creatures, now do I, huh?’ Pegasus leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and closed his remaining eye. ‘They’re almost complete.’

Though he hadn’t meant to fall asleep, the next thing he knew was blistering heat. He heard roaring and screaming. ‘Huh?’ Pegasus’s eye snapped open and he jerked upright. He seemed to be floating in the air. He looked down and watched in horror. There were pyramids below him. Around them, towns were burning. He cried out in alarm. ‘What’s going on?’ Or, for that matter… ‘And where am I?’ He looked around, seeking sense. All he saw was the three Egyptian God monsters. Slifer coiled and crushed the buildings, Obelisk smashed everything in sight, and Ra burned everything he could see, creating the inferno all around.

‘Hear me, Pegasus.’ Shadi’s voice from above made him twist around. He hovered a few feet up. ‘By attempting to recreate the images of the Egyptian God monsters, you’ve unleashed a dangerous force far beyond your comprehension, and put the world at risk. This was exactly what Dennis Pertinicle was warning you about.’

‘But how could Dr. Pertinicle possible have knowledge of this?’ Pegasus demanded.

Shadi did not answer. Instead, he said, ‘These beasts wrecked havoc upon the world 5000 years ago, as you see here, until the mighty Pharaoh contained their power.’

‘Even if it is true, I’ll accept the burden of these cards as my own and I’ll contain their great powers,’ Pegasus insisted. His Millennium Eye glinted. ‘But I must bring the legacy of Duel Monsters to a new Millennium!’

The three beasts roared as they began to rise up.

‘It is clear to me now that you were not meant to control these monsters,’ Shadi said.

Pegasus looked at him in alarm. He didn’t have enough power to? How much more power would it take then?

‘Your only hope is to return them after them to their resting place.’ With that, Shadi faded away, but his voice continued. ‘If not,’ Pegasus looked forward in alarm as the God monsters came level with him, ‘their darkness will consume you, and the entire world!’

All three let loose blasts from their mouths, heading directly for Pegasus…

Pegasus woke suddenly with a horrified gasp. ‘I’ve angered the Egyptian God monsters! And I felt their rage!’ He lifted his shaking hands. ‘That wasn’t a dream! Dr. Pertinicle was right! Their powers are very real! Shadi’s words were true! Now I must lock the cards away, or face destruction!’

***

Pegasus returned to Egypt with the cards. Shadi had told him that the Tomb Keepers did not allow their males to leave the tomb, so one of the females would be up to collect them from him. He’d called on Dr. Pertinicle again, this time for advice on how to best secure the cards.

The famous archaeologist was much more receptive now. First he’d given him the name of a sufficient hotel in the city of Girga. ‘It’s built right on top of the Nameless Pharaoh’s old capitol. That’s where most of the Sacred Guardians are.’ He’d then gone on to explain which of these Guardians to expect. ‘Ishizu Ishtar has the Millennium Necklace, which lets her see through time. She’ll probably arrive shortly after you do. Don’t expect her to knock.’

So Pegasus arrived in his room. He kept the blinds closed and peered through them. He was suspicious that someone would come to steal these prototypes. There was no knock, as Dr. Pertinicle had expected. The door was just opened. ‘Hm?’ Pegasus turned. An Arab woman stood in the doorway. ‘Oh!’ He turned around fully.

‘I’ve been awaiting your return to the Land of the Pharaohs,’ the woman said. ‘I am Ishizu Ishtar. Now come with me.’

Just as Dr. Pertinicle had said.

 

**Present Day, Kaiba’s Blimp, Japan**  
Shadi finished the story. ‘And, with the help of Ishizu, Pegasus sealed away the cards.’

‘Then Marik tried to steal them?’ Yugi asked.

‘Yes,’ Shadi said. ‘And if he were to get his hands on all three, the results would be devastating.’

Yugi felt the Pharaoh surging forth and stepped back.

***

‘I can assure you,’ the Pharaoh said. ‘Marik will never hold all three Egyptian God Cards.’

Shadi dropped down to one knee. ‘My Pharaoh! It is an honour for me to be in your presence once again, and I have great confidence in you. I know that you will restore order to the world and put an end to this chaos, just as you did 5000 years ago. My complete faith lies in you.’

The Pharaoh smiled at that.

A PA announcement suddenly drew his attention. ‘All remaining finalists must now report to the main concourse.’

When the Pharaoh looked back to where Shadi had been, he was startled. ‘Shadi? He’s gone.’

There was a switch right next to him, and Shamee was there. ‘He does that frequently.’ She rubbed her chin. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a spirit as well.’

‘Hm.’

The PA rang over the room again. ‘The next two duellists will now be chosen.’

_It’s time,_ Yugi said. _Let’s go join the others._

The Pharaoh smiled again and nodded. ‘All right, the future of mankind is depending on us.’

‘This is your final warning,’ the PA guy announced. ‘All finalists must be on deck in two minutes.’

The two ancients stepped out of the room and headed towards the elevator. They found their friends next to it. Tristan was telling them all something interesting.

‘No joke!’ Tristan was insisting. ‘There’s this freaky guy in a white robe! He saved our lives. Just ask Duke.’

Duke, apparently, wasn’t so sure. ‘Well, I didn’t actually see him but someone had to pull us up.’

Joey turned, affecting the air of amusement. ‘Knock it off, you guys. If you’re trying to distract me before my duel it’s not gonna work.’

Serenity lifted a finger to her chin. ‘Joey, what if there really was some kind of ghost?’

‘Come on,’ Joey said. ‘Ghosts don’t exist.’

He still nearly went out of his skin when the Pharaoh laid a hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Are you ready for the next duel?’

Joey spun around. ‘Don’t sneak up on me like that?’

The Pharaoh and Shamee both smirked.

Tristan decided to tell his story again. ‘Okay, here’s what happened.’

***

Ishizu sat by the window in her room, watching the cloud bank. ‘I’ll save you, Marik,’ she murmured. ‘I know there’s still good within you.’

She remembered a time, so long ago now, when Marik had been small. He’d been holding up a wreath of wildflowers he’d found, a bright and happy smile on his face. ‘Sister, for you!’ he’d proclaimed as he’d presented her with the wreath in one of the sweetest ways.

‘Ishizu.’ She was suddenly alerted to the presence of an old friend in her room. She looked over as he continued. ‘It’s happening.’

‘Shadi. With so much at stake, I should have known you’d be here.’

‘Yes. Evil once again walks the earth, bringing madness in its wake.’

Ishizu cast her eyes down. ‘I just never thought my own brother would be the medium for this evil.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Oh, Marik. The world must be saved, but at what cost? I don’t want to lose my brother.’

When she opened her eyes again, Shadi was gone.

***

Shadi stepped into the room, where the mind-controlled girl was. He walked up beside her and looked at her blank face. _My Key shields me from her sight._ He looked down at the boy, so often subjected to unwilling possession and Shadi noted precisely what was in the air around himself.

_Wait. The mystic disturbance that brought me here is strongest in this room. I feel that the destinies of certain Millennium Items are being manipulated, and until harmony is restored the world will be in grave peril._

Shadi turned and walked out of the room again. He had to think on this.


End file.
